ABOUT
Dr. John Summer's research-based specialty dental practice has been limited to treatment of TMJ disorders and obstructive sleep apnea in downtown Portland Oregon for more than four decades. Compared to other TMJ clinics, we stand out for our innovations that include a new understanding of the bite based on orthopedic function and joint physiology, recognizing the roles of the bite and the airway passage in controlling facial growth, recognizing the role of facial growth in the cause and treatment of TMJ disorders, incorporating the mandible into the analysis and treatment of body posture, and new technologies for more effective oral appliance treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Summer has done extensive research to understand these topics, and he feels a duty to report his findings. We also stand out for our policy of transparency - everything we do is explained along with costs and rationales on this website and in our handouts.
DR. SUMMER'S RESEARCH - began in 1980 with the anthropology of the TMJs and the jaw system in an effort to learn why the tribal people he lived and ate together with for several months showed no evidence of the TMJ disorders and strained bites that had become common in wealthy and technologically advanced societies.The focus soon extended to facial growth, because people aren't born with TMJ disorders, - people grow into them. Dr. Summer visited museums to study the craniofacial skeletons of our most recent ancestors from just before the mass industrialization of our food supply. Their teeth worked together very differently than ours. Their bites stimulated and supported stable symmetrical facial growth, while our bites commonly prevent our jawbones from achieving symmetry, harmony, and an adequate airway space. The long and involved story of how this change has come about can be found in 5 chapters under the ETIOLOGY tab.
Dr. Summer's subsequent research focused on the anatomy and physiology of the TMJ articular disks, the location and condition of which usually determines appropriate clinical treatment. His study of 119 TMJs treated with disk recapturing and documented with MRI before and after treatment was published in 1997, reprints available.
Dr. Summer's most recent research has been focused on developing and testing new and more effective oral appliance treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. These treatments are described in detail in MULTI-LEVEL ORAL APPLIANCE TREATMENT OF SLEEP APNEA under the FOR DOCTORS tab. The devices used are now in the FDA's 510 K process, with the final study for FDA approval being conducted now in denture patients, and with expected clearance in 2025.
PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY - Applying the same orthopedic principles to the jawbones and TMJs that we apply to bones and joints in other parts of the body enables us to provide effective symptomatic treatment, while incorporating facial growth enables us to also prevent the symptoms from returning after treatment. We offer a wide variety of orthopedic treatments to accommodate the wide variety of TMJ disorder types and the facial growth patterns ultimately responsible for them.
GENERAL DENTISTRY - We perform no general dentistry, therefore you need to have your own general dentist to be sure your gums and teeth are healthy. A toothache or inflamed gums can trigger the same type of reflex jaw muscle tightening that a damaged TMJ can trigger, so they often need to be ruled out as a possible cause. Also we perform no esthetic orthodontics (braces or clear aligners). The only type of orthodontics we provide is functional orthodontics using removeable oral appliances that include orthopedic corrections to improve the pattern of subsequent jaw and facial growth.
COVID SAFETY - Our office is in a historic old building with windows that actually open. In addition to the normal precautions, we have fans blowing in one window and out the other, so we can maintain directional airflow if you are especially concerned about respiratory viruses.