About

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 and snoring 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 told their doctor about their pain problems or how they have problems sleeping restfully.

As I learned more about advances in pain management and sleep disorders, new possibilities began to develop for these people. Pain and sleep disorder management are new emerging fields. 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, headache and sleep disorders clinics 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 New Haven Hospital Pain Management Center in the Department of Anesthesia (New Haven, CT), the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Headache Center in the Department of Neurology (Boston, MA)) 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, CT), St. Francis Medical Center (Hartford, CT), Yale New Haven Medical Center, and the Rehabilitation Hospital of Connecticut.

I am currently a member of the medical staff at the Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital (Worcester, MA), director of the UMass Memorial Medical Center TMJ/Headache Center and a member of the medical staff at the UMass Sleep Disorders Center (Worcester, MA), Instructor of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. I am on the medical staff of the Sleep HealthCenters in Boston (affliliated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital) I am a dental consultant for several hospital based sleep centers.

I am a member of several professional organizations dedicated to helping people with pain, headache and sleep disorders. I am Board Certified as Diplomate by the American Board of Orofacial Pain and the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry and a member of the American Headache Society and I am on the editorial review Board of the American Journal of Pain Management. I have published articles in journals and  medical books.