Our Services
Jaw, Joint & Facial Pain
TMJ Therapy
Temporomandibular disorders rarely have a single cause, so we don't treat them as though they do. Evaluation begins with a structured history, range-of-motion measurement (maximum opening, right and left lateral excursion, protrusion), joint loading and muscle palpation, and imaging when it will change the plan — CBCT for osseous morphology, MRI when disc position is in question. Treatment is conservative first: orthopedic appliance therapy to unload the joint and stabilize mandibular position, behavioral and postural modification, and targeted muscle work. Progress is reassessed at set intervals against objective markers rather than impression alone. Most patients improve without surgery; when medical or surgical referral is warranted, we coordinate it directly.
Trigger Point Therapy
Much of what patients describe as "jaw pain" originates in muscle rather than joint. Taut bands in the masseter, temporalis, medial and lateral pterygoids, sternocleidomastoid, and upper trapezius produce predictable referral patterns — temporal headache, ear pain, tooth pain with no dental cause. Treatment may involve manual release, dry needling, or injection of local anesthetic, selected by which muscles are involved and how they respond. Sessions are brief and often produce immediate change in opening and comfort. This is an adjunct: it relieves the muscular layer while appliance therapy and airway work address why those muscles were overworking in the first place.
Low-Level Light Therapy (Photobiomodulation)
Specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light are applied over the joint and surrounding musculature to modulate inflammation, reduce muscle tension, and support tissue repair. Treatment is painless, takes a few minutes per site, and has no downtime or activity restrictions. It is typically delivered as a series alongside appliance therapy rather than as a standalone intervention and is particularly useful during acute flares or in the early weeks of appliance adaptation when tissues are still settling. Published evidence supports short-term improvement in pain and range of motion for temporomandibular disorders; we use it as a comfort and recovery adjunct within a larger plan.
Prolotherapy
A regenerative injection technique in which a dextrose solution is introduced into the joint capsule and supporting ligaments to provoke a controlled healing response and encourage collagen repair. It is most relevant for patients with joint hypermobility, capsular laxity, recurrent subluxation, or clicking and instability that has not resolved with appliance therapy alone. Treatment is delivered as a series — commonly three to six sessions spaced several weeks apart — with reassessment between rounds. Because the mechanism depends on a brief inflammatory response, mild soreness for a day or two is expected and anti-inflammatories are usually avoided around treatment. Candidacy is determined after conservative care has been given a fair trial.
Prolozone
A variation on regenerative injection therapy combining medical-grade ozone with local anesthetic and nutrient cofactors, delivered into affected joint or soft tissue. It targets the same clinical picture as prolotherapy — chronic ligamentous pain, joint instability, tissue that has stalled short of full healing — and is likewise given as a spaced series with reassessment between visits. Sessions are short and most patients resume normal activity the same day. Ozone therapy is not a first-line treatment and is offered on an informed-consent basis after we've reviewed what the evidence does and does not currently support.
Sleep-Apnea Breathing Treatment
Sleep-disordered breathing fragments sleep, strains the cardiovascular system, and frequently drives the bruxism and morning jaw pain that bring patients here in the first place. Diagnosis belongs to a physician, and we facilitate home sleep apnea testing and work directly with sleep medicine to obtain it. For adults with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea — and for those with severe disease who cannot tolerate CPAP — oral appliance therapy is a guideline-supported treatment. We fabricate custom mandibular advancement devices, titrate them gradually over several weeks, and confirm effectiveness with repeat testing rather than assuming it. Children follow a different pathway, coordinated with ENT and pediatrics, and centered on growth, nasal patency, and tonsillar and adenoid assessment.
Airway & Sleep
Airway Orthodontics-Ages 3 & up
Most of a child's facial and airway growth is complete well before adolescence, which is why we begin screening at age three. Mouth breathing, snoring, restless or sweaty sleep, chronic congestion, a narrow high palate, dental crowding, and restricted tongue mobility are all worth evaluating while the skeleton is still responsive.
Treatment guides growth rather than simply straightening teeth. Widening the maxilla also widens the floor of the nasal cavity, and expansion has been shown to measurably reduce nasal airway resistance — the physical work of breathing through the nose. In children with confirmed sleep-disordered breathing and a constricted maxilla, expansion is an established part of care and has been shown to improve sleep study measures, often in sequence with ENT evaluation of the tonsils and adenoids. Our aim is straightforward: a jaw structure with room for the tongue to rest against the palate, and a nose capable of doing the work of breathing.
We evaluate what a child's breathing and sleep look like now and treat what we find. We don't claim that early treatment prevents obstructive sleep apnea decades later — the long-term studies to support that don't yet exist. Adolescents and adults are assessed on the same principles, with treatment adapted to skeletal maturity.
MARPE (Mini-Screw Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion)
Conventional expanders lose skeletal effect once the midpalatal suture matures, which historically left surgical expansion as the only option for older teens and adults. MARPE anchors the appliance directly to bone with temporary skeletal screws, allowing true skeletal widening of the maxilla without an operating room. Candidacy is assessed with CBCT to evaluate suture maturation stage and bone availability. Patients activate the appliance at home over several weeks; a midline gap between the front teeth is expected and closes afterward. Beyond creating arch space and correcting crossbite, widening the maxilla widens the nasal floor, and many patients report easier nasal breathing as a result.
Nightlase
A non-surgical laser treatment in which controlled thermal energy is applied to the soft palate and oropharyngeal tissues to tighten them and reduce the vibration that produces snoring. It is delivered as a series — typically three sessions several weeks apart — with no incisions, anesthesia, or recovery time; patients return to normal activity immediately. Results are not permanent, and most patients need a maintenance session roughly annually to sustain the effect. Nightlase addresses snoring and is not by itself a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea; where apnea is present or suspected, it is used only alongside a diagnosis and a definitive treatment plan.
Myofunctional Therapy
Appliances and expanders change structure; myofunctional therapy changes how that structure is used. Through a guided exercise program, patients retrain tongue posture, nasal breathing, lip seal, chewing, and swallow patterns that have often been compensating for years. It is valuable both as preparation — establishing nasal breathing before expansion — and as consolidation, since restored function is a meaningful part of what keeps orthodontic and orthopedic results stable. It also supports appliance tolerance and reduces the muscular overactivity behind clenching and jaw fatigue. When a restricted lingual or labial frenum limits progress, we coordinate release and follow it with therapy so the newly available range is actually integrated. Programs run several months with regular reassessment, and success depends substantially on daily practice at home.