Because we take our work seriously at the Piper Clinic, we have a few promises that we make to each of our patients. It is our opinion that the best care a patient can get starts with direct and honest answers. We feel that every patient question should be answered. If we do not know the answer, then we will tell you so, and we will attempt to help you to get answers.
We will not make any recommendations about your TMJ treatment without first assessing everything about your temporomandibular joint. Although there are many indirect methods to evaluate a TMJ, we will directly image your anatomy with the latest 21st century techniques, including CT and Magnetic Resonance (MR) scans. If the joint is damaged, then we will tell you so. In all probablility, we will be able to tell you how it was damaged and when the damage occurred. We will tell what condition your joint is in, where the joint is headed in the future, and what you need for treatment of your joint condition.
We will not make recommendations about your bite management without a complete analysis of your occlusion. Although there are many differing theories and techniques for bite analysis, we will be direct and thorough. Complete study casts of your bite will be mounted on dental articulators. This bite will be compared to the CT scan and MR scan of your temporomandibular joints. Our bite analysis will include an assessment of all phases of jaw opening and closure with direct comparison to the MR scans. We will tell you how your bite developed, what joint condition is supporting your bite, when your supporting dental work should be performed, where we expect your bite and facial appearance to go in the future, and why the treatment of your bite is important.
We will not make recommendations about changing your jaw and facial structures without a complete analysis of your skeleton. Although there are many cosmetic techniques to improve facial and dental features, we will completely analyze your facial structures before we recommend any cosmetic or functional changes. Our analysis of your facial skeleton will include all visible exterior features as well as a complete assessment of the sinus cavities, tongue space, and pharyngeal airway. We will image your facial bones, utilizing modern CT scan technology, and if you are developing an airway blockage because of an unstable jaw then we will tell you so. We will tell you how your facial bones have developed, what may have caused any cosmetic or functional change, when your changes are best corrected, where the structures are headed in the future, and whether your temporomandibular joint is the direct cause of facial alteration.
We will not make any recommendations for treatment of your pain without understanding why you have pain. If we cannot determine your pain source then we will try to help you find a doctor who can. We promise to look into pain from your joint structures, bones, muscles, teeth, neck, sensory nerves, migraines, fibromyalgia, and sympathetic nerves. We will tell you how to best address your pain, what layers of pain you have, when your pain may progress, where your pain may develop next, and why it is critical to keep your pain under control.
After fully understanding the condition of your TMJ and bite, your teeth and facial features, your airway, and your pain layering, then we will make recommendations for treatment. Although there are many options for treating joints, bites, and pain, we will focus directly upon your condition and on the treatment that is best fitted to your diagnosis. We will give you both a best and worst case scenario for each option. We will tell you how to compare various treatment options, what approaches are best for you, when your treatment should occur, where your treatment may go in the future, and why treatment may either succeed or fail.
At the Piper Clinic we promise to offer diagnosis and treatment that result in the best care that we can give. Finally, it is our promise through this website to be the best resource for information to patients
727-823-3220
131 2nd Ave. S.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701