Pain in and around the face and jaw affects millions of people every year, causing debilitating conditions that impact overall health and wellbeing. The pain creates constant tension in the muscles and nerves, further exacerbating the problem in a cycle that is difficult to break. Many times, the only way to relieve the discomfort is to relax the joints and muscles in the jaw, mouth, face, and neck.  Splint therapy for TMJ issues is a non-surgical, opioid-free option for successfully treating both the symptoms and causes of TMJ and orofacial pain. An integral component of a complete an ..read more

Nearly everyone experiences a headache at least once in their life, and they’re relatively common. These occasional headaches can interfere with our work and how we feel overall, but can also typically be managed with basic pain relief and over-the-counter medication. When headaches like migraines or tension headaches are a regular occurrence, however, you might need to dig deeper to find out what’s causing them. For example, complex conditions like disorders of the TMD, bruxism, or sleep apnea can all contribute to recurrent persistent headaches, but require accurate and detailed diagnoses ..read more

Sleep is a fundamental biological process and plays an essential role in human health and well-being. Sleep is more than just a rest each night  — it’s a necessary part of staying healthy. Proper sleep keeps us going physically and mentally, and disruptions in the quality and quantity of our sleep can have long-term consequences, affecting not only our bodies but also our minds. Dr. Katherine S. Phillips and Dr. YC Joseph FischerHahm of Restore TMJ & Sleep Therapy are both Diplomates of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM) and have committed a significant part of the ..read more

This is a subtitle for your new post Sleep apnea , a chronic sleep disorder that interrupts or even stops breathing intermittently throughout the night, affects millions of people. Sleep apnea is characterized by pauses in breathing called hypopneas that occur five or more times an hour for at least 10 seconds each time throughout the night. During these hypopneas, blood oxygen levels fall and the brain does not receive enough oxygen causing the body to release the “fight or flight” hormone epinephrine, raising heart rate and blood pressure in an attempt to stabilize. For people with sleep a ..read more

Sleep is one of the most important components of a healthy life. Without enough of it, your body can struggle to stay energized and alert, your mind can become foggy and confused, and you may have difficulty concentrating or remembering things.  Sleep disorders are among the most common culprits of poor sleep, and many people may not even know they’re suffering from one. Sleep disorders can develop for a number of reasons, including as a result of irregularities in the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ. Disorders of the TMJ, or TMD, have been linked to everything from chronic fatigue to ..read more

Problems with your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can wreak havoc on your quality of life. The pain and discomfort of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is not surprising when you consider how often you use these complex joints. Connecting your jaw to your skull on each side of your head just below your ears, each TMJ works as a sliding hinge, moving back and forth, side to side, and up and down. Working constantly throughout the day, they enable you to talk, chew, yawn, and more. TMD symptoms, which include intense headache and ear pain , are difficult to diagnose because they mimic sym ..read more

  If you’ve ever had your jaw “pop” it can be an unnerving experience. For one, your jaw is making a sound that, under ideal conditions, it simply shouldn’t be making. Second, a popping or clicking jaw is often a sign that you’re suffering from a serious dental issue, such as a temporomandibular disorder(TMD).   A popping jaw isn’t always a sign something is wrong, however. If your jaw only pops when you stretch your mouth especially wide, such as during a deep yawn, it may simply be a natural result of hyper-extending the joint and connecting tissues.   If your jaw pops while ..read more

People who suffer from TMJ disorder (TMD) are bound to question if stress and anxiety cause their TMD symptoms, or if TMD causes or exacerbates feelings of stress and anxiety. The answer, not surprisingly, is yes to both.  Due to the complexity of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), along with the closely intertwined relationship among TMDs, stress, and anxiety, it’s natural to wonder if you will ever get relief from these interlinked ailments. Fortunately, TMD treatment from a TMJ specialist such Dr. Katherine Phillips can help you attain better overall health and well-being by relievi ..read more

If you’ve experienced trigeminal neuralgia , then you’ve probably faced what many healthcare professionals say is the most excruciating type of pain a person can experience. Tic douloureux, more commonly known as trigeminal neuralgia, is a medical condition involving intense and unbearable pain in the face or jaws. For individuals with trigeminal neuralgia, managing the chronic orofacial pain stemming from the condition is essential for quality of life.  What is Trigeminal Neuralgia? To understand trigeminal neuralgia, it helps to become familiar with the body’s cranial nerves. The tr ..read more

If you are tempted to shrug off excessive daytime sleepiness and headaches as being normal, it’s time to reconsider. These symptoms and others may signal a serious, often life-threatening condition called obstructive sleep apnea . This most common form of sleep apnea occurs when your throat muscles intermittently relax and block your airway during sleep, causing breathing to stop. As a result, your brain panics and rouses your body to restart breathing. Each awakening is usually so brief most people are unaware when it happens. Yet shockingly, this can repeat itself five to 30 times or more ..read more