New American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine Diplomate, Dr. Sarah Humphreys, Treats Sleep Apnea, Snoring Nashville, TN September 15, 2022 –Local dentist Sarah Humphreys is helping Middle Tennessee residents get a more restful night’s sleep. Dr. Sarah Humphreys of Sleep & TMJ Co. was recently designated as a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental…
By far the most common “TMJ” concern I see in my office is actually MUSCLE MYALGIA. So many times people come into the office thinking they have a problem with their joint when what they really have is muscle soreness. Unlike some of the other muscles in the body, it is IMPOSSIBLE to stop using…
“TMJ” as I have discussed before can encompass a lot of different things. I am going to hit some of the highlights of the most common things I see in my practice that can fall under the diagnostic heading of “TMJ Disorder.” Disorders of the joint itself Disorders of the muscles in the head/neck Neuropathic…
I get this question a lot from patients that land in my office. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of dentists that want to and have a specific interest in treating jaw dysfunction, but many dentists have NO INTEREST! Do you want to know why? Me too! I think there are a lot…
One of the strangest things I have encountered as a dentist and as a human being are the things that people take personally. Especially when it is about their health and/or something they literally have NO CONTROL OVER. But, honestly, it happens every day in the general dental office- a patient gets personally offended by…
Oftentimes, we think of sleep apnea as being something that only affects men. Cardiologists, primary care docs, and other medical professionals often look for risk factors for sleep apnea in people that meet a certain set of physical attributes (including gender). While it’s true that apnea is more prevalent in men than women, the difference…
This is a true story, not one I made up for a blog post (I swear!) I am what people would refer to as a “light sleeper.” This wasn’t really an issue growing up because fortunately I had my own quiet, dark space to sleep. Then in 2008, I got married and haven’t slept well…
Jaw popping is a prevalent and common condition. There are a number of reasons why a jaw may start popping- almost all of those reasons are trauma related. It can be a big trauma- like an accident (car accident, hit to the face, falling on your chin) or can be microtrauma (orthodontic treatment, clenching/grinding your…
I made a social media post last week asking people about any questions they had about dental sleep medicine, oral appliances for sleep apnea or splint therapy for TMJ/TMD. I received several questions about what a dental sleep appliance looks like. The answer to the question is not just one answer. The answer is that…
In my first years as a practicing dentist, the only real tool I had in my tool belt for helping patients with “TMJ,” clenching their teeth or grinding was a good old fashioned “night guard.” If you have been to the dentist at regular intervals and are an adult, maybe it has been suggested to…
