Conditions & Treatments
This page is the working entry point to the practice. If you searched for jaw pain, a locked jaw, a missing tooth, a facial injury, or a corrective jaw procedure, the four service lines below are where diagnosis and treatment begin. Every patient — self-referred or sent by a dentist or physician — is seen by a board-certified surgeon, not a rotating resident.
Four service lines
Most patients search by symptom, not by clinical specialty. The tiles below map the language patients use in a search bar to the surgical service lines the practice runs every week.
Most searched · TMJ treatment San Francisco
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction covers a spectrum: clicking and limited opening, chronic facial pain, arthritic degeneration, and disc displacement. Treatment begins with a clinical exam and in-house CBCT, then moves to arthrocentesis, occlusal splint therapy, or open-joint surgery when conservative care is not enough.
Corrective jaw surgery
Corrective jaw surgery addresses skeletal discrepancies that braces alone cannot resolve: underbite, overbite, open bite, asymmetry, and sleep-disordered breathing related to jaw position. Each case is planned in 3D from the in-house CBCT scan and coordinated with the referring orthodontist on a single timeline.
Dental implants
Single-tooth implants, multi-unit bridgework, and full-arch reconstruction including bone grafting and sinus lift when needed. Planning is image-driven: the CBCT scan happens in this office, and the surgical guide is fabricated to the same plan the surgeon uses on the day of placement.
Facial trauma
Mandible fractures, orbital and zygomatic injuries, nasal and panfacial trauma, and secondary repair of old injuries. The practice reserves same-week emergency slots daily for facial trauma and acute TMJ flare-ups across both locations.
Every patient gets a single, clear treatment plan — written by the surgeon who will be in the room on the day of surgery, not handed down from a rotating resident. That is the only way I know how to practice this specialty.
How we diagnose
The first appointment is built to answer three questions: what is causing the problem, what are the options, and what does the next 90 days look like. Most patients leave with a written treatment plan before they reach the parking garage.
A 45-minute exam with the surgeon covering history, range-of-motion testing, joint sounds, occlusion, and a structured pain mapping. No work is delegated to assistants you have not met.
A cone-beam CT is taken in the same office if imaging is indicated. The surgeon reads it during the visit — there is no third-party imaging referral, no second appointment to retrieve results.
A written plan with sequencing, alternatives, and recovery expectations is delivered before you leave. The insurance coordinator verifies benefits and pre-authorizes with major carriers within 24 hours.
Questions patients ask
Short clinical answers. Anything that depends on your specific anatomy, scan, or medical history will be confirmed at the consultation itself — that is the only honest way to answer it.
Many TMJ and jaw-alignment problems are managed non-surgically first — occlusal splints, physical therapy, medication, and arthrocentesis when appropriate. Surgery is recommended only when conservative care has been tried or when the clinical exam and imaging point clearly to a structural problem. You will hear both options if both are reasonable.
New-patient appointments average 4.2 days out, well under the regional 6-week norm. For facial trauma and acute TMJ flare-ups, the practice reserves same-week emergency slots every day across both locations. Call the main line and ask for the trauma coordinator if the situation is acute.
The practice is in-network with most major carriers, and the insurance coordinator verifies benefits and pre-authorizes procedures within 24 hours of the consultation. A pre-quote is provided before any scheduled surgery. We do not publish flat pricing because coverage and clinical scope vary case by case — that conversation belongs in the consultation, not on a webpage.
Referring offices can send patients directly through the referring-doctors page. We request a brief clinical note, any recent imaging, and the working diagnosis. The surgeon reviews the chart personally before scheduling so the first visit is productive rather than a re-triage. A written consult letter is returned to the referring office within five business days of the appointment.
Two paths
For jaw pain, TMJ symptoms, missing teeth, and corrective jaw referrals, request a consultation and the practice will reach out within one business day to schedule. For acute facial injury — fractures, lacerations, post-traumatic swelling — call the trauma line directly. Same-week emergency slots are held daily.
Average new-patient wait: 4.2 days · Insurance pre-authorization within 24 hours · Two locations serving the greater metro area.
