In the early 1980’s I saw many people that had toothaches and headache pain with no apparent reason. They saw many specialists both dental and medical and were usually told that nothing could be done. Often they were prescribed pain pills or medications for anxiety. These pills did little to calm the pain. They also received oral appliances (sometimes called retainers) for jaw pain with no relief. Rarely was a diagnosis made for the different types of pain and headaches a person was experiencing. People with TMJ or Temporo-Mandibular Joint pain (jaw joint pain) can also have migraine, tension headaches, neuralgia, or neck aches. All of these pains must be diagnoses and managed at the same time for success.

At that time I also became aware of people suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (also called OSA). Apnea is a condition that occurs when a person usually snores loud and stops breathing a for a few moments many times a minute while sleeping. I have been helping people with OSA through the use of oral appliances worn during sleep.

A person’s history and a thorough description of the pain or sleep problem are an essential part of an initial visit. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that they never fully described their pain to their doctor and they were never fully examined.

As I learned more about advances in pain management new possibilities began to develop for these people. Pain management is a new emerging field. Unfortunately, there are still many doctors that do not keep up with current medical literature. Another problem is that many specialists do not incorporate treatment strategies that are used by different types of specialists. This became clear to me when I worked in pain and headache centers in different hospitals.

After graduating New York University Dental School in 1977 I attended a two year program in advanced training in head and pain management at the University of New Jersey Dental and Medical School in 1985-86 and in 1988-89.

I have been a member of the medical staff at the Yale Medical School Pain Management Center in the Department of Anesthesia, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Headache Center in the Department of Neurology) and had an appointment as Instructor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School. I also was a member of the dental resident teaching staff at Mt. Sinai Hospital (Hartford.) I am currently a member of the medical staff at the Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital (Worcester), UMass Memorial Medical Center Headache Center and Sleep Disorders Center (Worcester), Instructor of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. I am a consultant for several hospital based sleep centers.

I am a member of several professional organization dedicated to helping people with pain, headache and sleep disorders. I am Board Certified by the American Board of Orofacial Pain, a fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry and a member of the American Headache Society, the American Pain Society, and I am on the editorial review Board of the American Journal of Pain Management. I am a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine.

I see patients in several locations in central/eastern Massachusetts and in central Connecticut.