Patient Education

Dental care and treatment can improve your smile and boost your self-confidence. Our highly experienced, board-certified dental professionals and compassionate staff make keeping healthy, attractive teeth for your lifetime a reality.

Fresno TMJ & Sleep Apnea Therapy provides a full range of dental services including the following:

Cluster Headache

A cluster headache is a severe headache that can occur for a period of weeks to months and then stop completely for a period of time that can last at least a month or more. Men, more than women, are more likely to be affected with cluster headaches. The headaches usually manifest during adolescence and middle age but can occur at any age. ...

Migraine Headache

Migraines are chronic headaches that cause intense pain, and throbbing or pulsing sensations in the head. Along with severe head pain, some people also experience nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. The pain and symptoms of a migraine may last from hours to days at a time. Most people experience recurring migraine headaches that may be triggered by stress, anxiety, hormonal changes, certain foods or changes in sleep patterns. Migraines are more common in women than men and they may develop as a result of genetic or environmental factors. Migraines can begin at any age, though most people experience their first migraine during adolescence. ...

Migraines and Headaches in Children

While most people think that headaches are an adult condition, children experience them too. Headaches are as common for children as they are for adults. In fact, 20 percent of children, between the ages of 5 and 17, have headaches. About 15 percent of these headaches are tension related and the remaining 5 percent are migraine headaches. More prepubescent boys get headaches than girls. After puberty, more girls than boys get headaches. ...

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that involves repeated breathing interruptions during sleep. These interruptions may occur hundred of times each night, and may be the result of structural abnormalities or brain malfunctions. During normal breathing, air passes through the nose, past the flexible structures in the back of the throat, including the soft palate, uvula and tongue. When a person is awake, the muscles hold this airway open. When they are asleep, these muscles relax and the airway usually stays open. Sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway and airflow are blocked, causing the oxygen levels to drop in both in the brain and the blood, resulting in shallow breathing or breathing pauses during sleep. ...

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) refers to a group of related disorders that result from problems with the jaw or jaw joint, or the facial muscles involved in jaw movement. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the small joint located in front of the ear where the skull and lower jaw meet; it enables the jaw to move and function normally, and is one of the body's most frequently used joints. Talking, yawning, chewing and swallowing all involve the TMJ. For the TMJ to function properly, the muscles, ligaments and bones involved in its movement must be working properly; any conditions that prevent them from doing so may cause TMD. ...

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder FAQs

What is temporomandibular joint disorder?

Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) refers to a group of related disorders that result from problems with the jaw or jaw joint, or facial muscles involved in jaw movement. TMD can cause discomfort and pain that may be constant or intermittent. These disorders are often incorrectly referred to as TMJ, which refers only to the temporomandibular joint itself. ...

Tension Headache

A tension headache is the most common type of headache that affects people of all ages but typically affect adults and adolescents.

Causes of Tension Headaches

Tension headaches occur due to the contraction of the muscles in the neck and scalp. These contractions may be due to the following: ...

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia, also known as tic douloureux, is a neurological disorder affecting the trigeminal nerve, the nerve that carries sensory information from the face to the brain. This chronic condition causes severe shooting pain in the face, sometimes as fleeting, momentary twinges, other times as frequent bouts of excruciating pain. Because the trigeminal nerve is responsible for sensation all around the face, including the eyes, mouth and sinus cavities, trigeminal neuralgia can result in pain on one side of the jaw, cheek or mouth, or, less frequently, near the forehead or one of the eyes. ...

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) refers to a group of related disorders that result from problems with the jaw or jaw joint, or the facial muscles involved in jaw movement. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the small joint located in front of the ear where the skull and lower jaw meet; it enables the jaw to move and function normally, and is one of the body's most frequently used joints. Talking, yawning, chewing and swallowing all involve the TMJ. For the TMJ to function properly, the muscles, ligaments and bones involved in its movement must be working properly; any conditions that prevent them from doing so may cause TMD. ...

Tension Headache

A tension headache is the most common type of headache that affects people of all ages but typically affect adults and adolescents.

Causes of Tension Headaches

Tension headaches occur due to the contraction of the muscles in the neck and scalp. These contractions may be due to the following: ...

Migraine Headache

Migraines are chronic headaches that cause intense pain, and throbbing or pulsing sensations in the head. Along with severe head pain, some people also experience nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. The pain and symptoms of a migraine may last from hours to days at a time. Most people experience recurring migraine headaches that may be triggered by stress, anxiety, hormonal changes, certain foods or changes in sleep patterns. Migraines are more common in women than men and they may develop as a result of genetic or environmental factors. Migraines can begin at any age, though most people experience their first migraine during adolescence. ...

Migraines and Headaches in Children

While most people think that headaches are an adult condition, children experience them too. Headaches are as common for children as they are for adults. In fact, 20 percent of children, between the ages of 5 and 17, have headaches. About 15 percent of these headaches are tension related and the remaining 5 percent are migraine headaches. More prepubescent boys get headaches than girls. After puberty, more girls than boys get headaches. ...

Cluster Headache

A cluster headache is a severe headache that can occur for a period of weeks to months and then stop completely for a period of time that can last at least a month or more. Men, more than women, are more likely to be affected with cluster headaches. The headaches usually manifest during adolescence and middle age but can occur at any age. ...

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia, also known as tic douloureux, is a neurological disorder affecting the trigeminal nerve, the nerve that carries sensory information from the face to the brain. This chronic condition causes severe shooting pain in the face, sometimes as fleeting, momentary twinges, other times as frequent bouts of excruciating pain. Because the trigeminal nerve is responsible for sensation all around the face, including the eyes, mouth and sinus cavities, trigeminal neuralgia can result in pain on one side of the jaw, cheek or mouth, or, less frequently, near the forehead or one of the eyes. ...

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that involves repeated breathing interruptions during sleep. These interruptions may occur hundred of times each night, and may be the result of structural abnormalities or brain malfunctions. During normal breathing, air passes through the nose, past the flexible structures in the back of the throat, including the soft palate, uvula and tongue. When a person is awake, the muscles hold this airway open. When they are asleep, these muscles relax and the airway usually stays open. Sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway and airflow are blocked, causing the oxygen levels to drop in both in the brain and the blood, resulting in shallow breathing or breathing pauses during sleep. ...