TMJ & Sleep Therapy
Breathe. Sleep. Heal. Live.
TMJ & Sleep Centre of Reno
To Our Valued Patients:
- Our office will communicate with you beforehand to ask some screening questions. You’ll be asked the same questions when you arrive at the office.
- Our waiting room has been rearranged to comply with social distancing guidelines and all unnecessary items that could potential transmit diseases have been removed (e.g. magazines, water bottles, coffee station).
- Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing between patients. Because of this there may be some limitations on appointments.
- We will do our best to allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as to reduce the number of patients in the waiting area at any one time.
Providing Non-Surgical Therapies | Restoring Quality of Life
At TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of Reno we understand the unique complexities of sleep-related breathing disorders and craniofacial pain.
Do you have pain?
Do you have TMJ pain or dysfunctions? Patients often experience facial neuralgias and musculoskeletal pain in conjunction with headaches or migraines.
Common signs seen in the mouth that might indicate suspicion for a sleep-related breathing disorders include: clenching, grinding, attrition of the teeth, tooth decay, and tori (extra boney growth on the roof of the mouth or tongue side of the floor of the mouth). Often, dentists are in the best position to notice these signs of sleep-related breathing disorders at a patients annual or semi-annual exam.
TMJ Sleep Therapy
We Treat The Following Conditions:
Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Snoring
Craniofacial Pain
- Chronic head, face, neck pain
- TMJ pain
- Orthopedic Dysfunction
- Primary headaches and migraines
(Sleep Apnea and Snoring)
Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders
Sleep Apnea
Sleep Apnea is defined as the absence of breathing during sleep.
Breathing
Breathing is a required function for oxygen to reach the lungs.
Suffocation
Suffocation is defined as deprivation of oxygen.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a form of repetitious suffocation occurring during sleep. A common reason for this medical condition is a poorly positioned jaw and/or tongue.
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Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by an airway blockage (obstruction) during sleep. During the day, muscles in the airway region keep the throat and airway passage wide open but when a patient has obstructive sleep apnea, the throat collapses during sleep, blocking the airway and preventing air from getting to the lungs.
The site of obstruction in most patients is the soft palate, extending to the region at the base of the tongue. There are no rigid structures, such as cartilage or bone, in this area to hold the airway open. So as a person with OSA falls asleep, these muscles relax to a point where the airway collapses and becomes obstructed. Enlarged tonsils and small structural features of the maxilla /nose, mouth and throat may contribute to OSA. Proper evaluation and testing is needed for accurate diagnosis.
Sleep apnea can only be diagnosed by a medical physician. Screening for signs and symptoms can be found through routine dental examinations.
If you are have any of the following symptoms you may have sleep apnea:
- Snoring
- Jaw clenching, grinding
- Morning headaches
- Insomnia
Craniofacial Pain
Some patients may experience TMJ pain and dysfunctions, some patients experience primary headaches or migraines. Other patients may have facial neuralgias, musculoskeletal pain or a combination of all! Often these problems, are symptoms of a greater problem affecting the body, much like a fever is secondary to the flu. In the absence of an acute injury to the head or face, the primary cause of jaw problems is frequently related to the body not getting enough oxygen during sleep.
Signs and Symptoms May Include:
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Capsulitis of TM joint
- Face pain, numbness, tingling, shocking
- Jaw pain, clicking, popping, crunching, locking, jaw noises
- Dizziness
- Teeth clenching, grinding
- Pain when chewing
- Bite feels off or different than before
- Numbness in the arms or legs
- Pain in the base of the skull and neck
- Shoulder pain
- Burning mouth
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About Doctor Tammy
Suffering from sleep apnea herself, Dr. Tammy has a passion for helping her patients improve their quality of sleep, their quality of health, their quality of life.
Dr. Tammy’s trained under her personal mentor, Dr. Steve Olmos, President of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain – the foremost association of dentists pledged to treating temporomandibular disorders, craniofacial pain, and obstructive sleep apnea and snoring.
After realizing the tremendous results Dr. Olmos’ protocols produced treating patients who suffer from these disorders, Dr. Tammy joined the other 44 Centres of Excellence spanning 7 countries so she could help her patients as well.
The success of these Centres is based on a whole-system approach, rather than focusing on only one component of the problem in isolation. Multi-discipline referral coordination has allowed Dr. Tammy to provide a team approach to help patients finally find answers and successful treatment results.
Dr. Tammy has implemented these protocols within her dental practice improving her patients’ quality of life.
