In two weeks, Dr. Demerjian relieved over 15 years of pain no other doctor was able to alleviate.

For 20 years, I saw about ten or more different general dentists for routine cleanings and/or other procedures such as crowns, extractions etc. Over time, each procedure seemed to alter my bite. As time went on, I began breaking crowns, needing bridges and breaking those as well. A few years ago, I also started experiencing pain on the left side of my neck, shoulder and upper back, with some occasional numbness down my left arm and thumb, I was also tripping and falling on the trails and my vision was off. I had to get computer glasses. I thought falling on the trails was due to me not paying attention. I thought the pain and vision issues were due to my prolonged hours in front of the computer for work or school. I saw optometrists, chiropractors, massage therapists and physical therapists who all gave me great suggestions and routines to follow, but the pain and discomfort never went away.

This past year, the discomfort got so bad, I could not sleep through the night, waking up every two hours to try to find a better position. It all came to an alarming point when I had to have a bridge replaced and the dentist that replaced it made the bridge so bad it forced me to see a prosthodontist. A what? yes, I had never heard of such a specialist. And given all I had been through with tooth doctors, I was going to take my time to find someone that really knew what they were doing.

In the last six months, I saw three prosthodontists and all three had very different approaches. But one thing was clear, they all needed me to be evaluated by other specialists before they could start any work. I had to see an endodontist to ensure no other teeth were compromised (check), a periodontist to ensure good and healthy gums (check) and a radiologist for a Jaw MRI (check). All of it was incredibly frustrating and costly, and worse, after five months, none of those things addressed the pain and discomfort. I even began having headaches and little muscle spasms around the jaw area. I also could not eat solid food. But there was one last referral to a TMJ specialist. Little did I know that should have been the first. Whoa!

At my first visit with Dr. Demerjian, he ran some tests, read my MRI and was able to assess my jaw issues. He gave me literature that explained the jaw relationship to my pain and vision situation. I had no idea TMJ could affect your balance (no wonder I was falling), strength (couldn’t grip stuff with my left hand or do push ups), vision (had to get computer glasses). But he said he could help me. All things considered, I was skeptical. I had impressions taken and returned within a week to get my day and night orthotic appliances and to have a CT Scan to see what else might be going on.

A week later, I returned for my orthotic. I was blown away. There was an immediate release of pressure in my neck and shoulder area, the muscle spasms were no where to be found and I felt incredible jaw support. What? The pain and numbness were also gone. This is crazy. And for the first time, that night, I was able to sleep without waking up until morning. A week into the process, I have had minor fine tuning, but there is no more pain. I expect to wear the orthotic appliances for three to six months until my jaw gets used to the balance and then proceed with any restorative work by the prosthodontist.

Amazingness! In two weeks, Dr. Demerjian relieved over 15 years of pain no other doctor was able to alleviate. I am incredibly grateful for the work Dr. Demerjian is doing and urge anyone with clicking or even the slightest thought of a bite issue to see him first before getting any dental work done. Enough can’t be said about the financial, emotional and physical pain you will experience by neglecting to see someone who focuses his practice exclusively to TMJ related issues. Hope this was useful and look forward to hearing about your experience.

S. E. Beckmann, May 2014

I used to get one or two migraines a week and after about a month of wearing the mouth guards, my migraines reduced to about one or two a month.

When I was seven, I was kicked in the face and suffered a broken nose. Since then, I have suffered from migraine headaches. They have severely hampered my quality of life because I have spent countless hours in bed unable to function. Some headaches have caused me to stay in bed for several days. I get severe photophobia and nausea when I do get a migraine.

By the time I was sixteen, I was going to a neurologist regularly. I have had three MRI’s done on my head to rule out any irregularities. I have been on beta-blockers, anti-seizure medication to help prevent my migraines, Imitrex nasal spray for really bad migraines, and other heavy pain medication. I had pretty much tried everything I could think have when a friend told me that it could be TMJ. I figured it couldn’t hurt to get an examination, so I was referred to Dr. Demerjian by my dentist. On my first visit, I went through some tests to see where my problems were. I did have problems with clenching my teeth which caused a lot of my headaches. After a few visits, I was given two mouth guards to wear: one during the day and the other while I sleep. The day mouth guard was not bad at all. No one could tell that I was wearing it and it only took a little while to get used to. The night mouth guard is great because I am able to wear it comfortably while I sleep.

I started noticing some considerable improvements after about one month of wearing the mouth guards. I used to get one or two migraines a week and after about a month of wearing the mouth guards, my migraines reduced to about one or two a month. I have been wearing the mouth guards for about five months now, and I get maybe one migraine a month. I know that I will never get rid of my migraine headaches totally, but I can definitely deal with one headache a month.

B. M., SAN FERNANDO, CA