Facial Pain and Apnea Appliance Therapy was established with the goal of creating the definitive specialty center for addressing these agonizing conditions. Our philosophy of care is rooted in orthopedics and physical medicine, so having our own head-and-neck physical therapist right in the office makes perfect sense.
Dr. Kristy Frye PT, DPT, OCS, CERT. SMT, ITPT, Cert. VRSattended Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY, where she received her undergraduate degree in health sciences and then went on to receive her masters and doctorate in physical therapy. She has attended numerous continuing education courses for temporomandibular/facial pain, spine, and extremity rehabilitation to further advance clinical skills.
Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are disorders of the jaw muscles, temporomandibular joints, and/or the nerves associated with chronic facial pain. Any problem that prevents the complex system of muscles, bones, and joints from working together in harmony may result in temporomandibular disorder.
Most oral health professionals will agree that the primary cause of this disorder is excessive strain on the muscle group that controls chewing, swallowing, and speech. This strain may be a result of bruxism (incessant clenching of the teeth), or from physical or mental stress. These factors may be the cause, in most cases, or may aggravate an existing condition of TMD.
Specific treatment for TMD will be determined by your physician, dentist or physical therapist based on your age, overall health, medical history, extent of the disease, your tolerance for specific procedures or therapies, expectations for the course of the disease, and your opinion or preference.
Treatments may include manual therapy techniques such as massage or joint mobilization, therapeutic exercise, education and modalities as appropriate. Modalities such as hot/cold, ultrasound and cold laser may help to reduce symptomsand improve ones ability to tolerate more active treatments.
Headaches can often be experienced in individuals who have neck pain or jaw pain. After a physical therapy evaluation, the physical therapist may be able to assist in improving your symptoms by performing manual therapy techniques in conjunction with basic exercises to these regions.
Neck pain can be related to a number of factors including an injury, prolonged static postures, and arthritic changes. It can be of sudden or gradual onset and lead to neck or arm pain as well as headaches.
Many of our therapists are certified Vestibular Rehab Specialists. We can provide evaluation and treatment for dizziness and to help improve your balance. We focus on the treatment and prevention of many orthopedic conditions such as neck/back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain and post-operative pain.
Noelle DeSantis is a Registered Dietitian, with a passion for food, wellness, and research. She earned her B.S. in Nutrition from San Diego State University, while volunteering in the community, conducting research, and worked in a fine dining restaurant. These experiences led to her desire to provide evidence-based nutrition recommendations, which are not only tailored to each persons bio-individuality, but personal preferences and physical limitations as well.
Diet can a play a key role in managing pain and headaches. There are foods that are known common triggers, however, not everyone has the same trigger(s). A full nutrition assessment is helpful to identify triggers and come up with a plan to modify your diet pattern in order to reduce or prevent migraines. Some common triggers include: Caffeine, chocolate, tyramine-rich foods, nitrates, aspartame and others.
Weight loss nutrition therapy includes a comprehensive nutrition assessment which takes into consideration unique needs based on past medical history, any co-morbidities, recent lab work as well as setting attainable goals. Weight loss can improve quality of life, many people see improvement in quality of sleep, insulin sensitivity, improved mobility and even decreased pain. Noelle can assess your resting metabolic rate using indirect calorimetry if you have been having difficulty losing weight and suspect a slowed metabolism.
In addition to managing pain, headaches and weight, Noelle works with patients to help them manage blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, gastrointestinal symptoms, maximize vitamin and minerals, and promote cognitive health. Many patients that are taking medications to manage conditions find that the dose can be decreased or even discontinued all together after making dietary changes and sticking to them. This is important as many common medications have side effects and can interfere with nutrient status.
Dr. Goldberg created Facial Pain and Apnea Appliance Therapy with a clear objective in mind: to establish the premier center for the treatment of functional jaw issues in the nation. Our patients have access to the most educated, committed, and compassionate team of professionals in the field, using the most current technology and techniques. The practice is set up as a boutique environment where patients receive personalize, caring service promptly and conveniently.
Our team includes our licensed dental hygienist, New York State certified dental assistants, and a highly capable administrative team, in addition to our physical therapy and nutritionist partners on site. Our first priority is to understand you as a patient, to make a proper diagnosis, and to work with you to determine the most complete and appropriate treatment plan. Our administrative team is experienced in handling medical and dental insurance for our specialized services and work hard to ensure that our patients have access to the care they need. We are also one of the few dental offices handling No Fault and Workers Comp cases.
We understand that financial considerations are important to our patients, and we will work with you to ensure that they do not stand in the way of your treatment. Our focus is entirely on providing the best, most appropriate care to our patients.It has been our experience that local medical insurance companies have not been supportive of TMJ or sleep apnea dentistry and significantly limit our ability to provide top level care in a comprehensive, evidence-based manner.Therefore, we contract directly with very few insurance companies and will generally function as an out-of-network provider.
We have established our entire office to provide the best experience possible for those enduring symptoms of facial pain, TMJ disorders and sleep apnea and snoring. We offer a friendly, boutique atmosphere to help ease your nerves and make your time with us peaceful and relaxing. We utilize state-of-the-art technology to effectively diagnose and treat your discomfort.
TMJ or temporomandibular joint disorder refers to pain or dysfunction at the jaw joints. Common symptoms are headaches, especially at the temples, clicking or locking in the jaw, or pain that may be related to clenching or grinding the teeth. TMJ is often associated with migraines, ringing in the ears, and other uncomfortable conditions of the head and face.
Dr. Goldberg is a specialist in conservative management of the TMJ joints, often using very specialized mouthguards and, where necessary, medication, injections (including Botox), exercises, biostimulation laser, and other techniques. Our practice is non-invasive; we do not do surgery or change the teeth, but can refer to other specialists in the rare cases where that is needed. Our goal is to reduce or eliminate pain and headaches and help the jaw to move in a smooth, stable manner. Our technology allows us to evaluate jaw function in the most sophisticated manner available in this region.
Dr. Goldberg provides custom mouthguards that hold the jaw at night to open the airway and reduce snoring and sleep apnea events. Treatment of sleep apnea is done in cooperation with the sleep doctor. The mouthguards are medically approved and a comfortable, effective alternative to the CPAP machine. We utilize the most advanced technology in this region to design our mouthguard appliances for greatest benefit.
Our practice is able to bill both medical and dental insurance for our services whichever is more likely to help the patient. Many insurance companies will treat our services as elective and may not be as supportive as we would like, but our team is very experienced in making the most of insurance benefits. We also work directly with No-Fault and Workers Comp insurance.