TMJ Pain Hurts, there is no doubt about it. Dr. Christina Cairns treats TMJ pain with a “Phase One “non-surgical, non-pharmacologic, non-invasive approach. Prior to any treatment, Dr. Cairns will obtain a preliminary diagnosis of your TMJ problem and assesses whether she believes she can help you and your unique situation. If Dr. Cairns does not believe you are a good candidate for her treatment she will refer you to the proper medical or dental professional to better assist in your care. The American Dental Association recommends that phase two therapies, (Equilibration, Orthodontics, Extensive Crowning of Teeth, and any type of surgery on the TMJ or jaw) not be considered until after phase one therapy. In the office of Dr. Cairns' practice, phase one treatment works 92% of the time, leading to maximum medical improvement without phase 2.

In the rare circumstances where phase two therapy is recommended, it will be referred to another medical or dental office. Our approach is conservative and our goal is to achieve improvement without surgery or extensive dentistry, and most of the time we achieve that goal. Dr. Christina Cairns only treats two things, Conditions leading to TMJ Pain and conditions leading to Sleep Apnea/Snoring. The truth is these two things are very tightly correlated and treating one without considering the other is naive at best. Rest assured, if you are being treated for one of these two things, Dr. Cairns will do her best to help you discover if you have the other. Often, TMJ patients who have not responded well to phase one therapy in the past have an underlying Obstructive Sleep Apnea component that has gone undetected. Obstructive Sleep Apnea can only be diagnosed by a board certified sleep physician and Dr. Cairns will help you obtain a diagnosis if you have the signs and symptoms associated with the condition.