Real Patient Testimonials
ALF Treatment Success Stories
KYLE
Kyle’s teeth were crowded and didn’t have room for his new teeth to come in. As Kyle so eloquently states, “braces just scootch your teeth but don’t care about the rest of your body.” Jennifer, Kyle’s mom did her own due diligence and her own research on conservative care for her child where the results would be lasting. Jennifer wanted to utilize the ALF appliance for Kyle to create room in the face/jaw/head, naturally, for all of the teeth to fit comfortably and in-line to allow proper swallowing and breathing.
CLEOPATRA
As soon as the ALF appliance went into Cleopatra’s mouth she felt like she was finally sleeping well for the first time in her entire life. Cleopatra’s tongue doesn’t normally rest on the top of her mouth which results in snoring, teeth grinding and clenching. She had been clenching for 15 years! Dr. Shirazi and the team did ALF therapy not just to make space on her palette and increase her nasal latency but mainly to calm her system down. She didn’t realize how important sleep was but also didn’t realize how poor of quality her sleep had been until she got a full night of rest. She wakes up now after 8 hours feeling fully refreshed!
ALEXIS
Alexis had many teeth removed as a child which misaligned her upper jaw. This negatively affected her bite and caused her jaw pain, teeth grinding, headaches, foggy brain, etc. She was thrilled to have found Dr. Shirazi and knew immediately he could help her. Dr. Shirazi used the ALF appliance which takes up almost zero space in the mouth but is extremely impactful and effective. In less than 8 months her upper jaw pain is gone, her airways have opened up, she’s having less headaches and sleeping better!
WESLEY
Wesley gets the help he needs with the ALF appliance. ALF therapy is a wonderful therapy for adults and children because it trains the tongue on where to be, does a very gentle form of expansion and has the ability to move the jaw from where it was to where it should be. If you can make space for all of the teeth then once the child hits adolescents they may not ever need orthodontics or braces hence the term “interventional orthodontics”.
SOLENE
Solene used to breathe a lot from her mouth. Mouth breathing causes malocclusion and “long face syndrome”. She had an overbite and her mom was worried about it chipping away at her confidence so wanted to balance her facial symmetry but do it naturally. Dr. Shirazi balanced the face by widening it via the ALF appliance and expanding the palette. The palette is the roof of the mouth but it’s the floor of the nose so by expanding the palette he was able to increasing the nasal patency or expansion. Dr. Shirazi was able to develop Solene’s arches with ALF therapy. Alf therapy is effective, gentle, and noninvasive.
TMJ Therapy Success Stories
ANDREA
Andrea would wake in the night and could barely move her head and neck due to the immense pain. Dr. Shirazi found that Andrea had very severe degenerative arthritis in her jaw. Dr. Jay Grossman referred Andrea to Dr. Shirazi as the specialist to bring her out of pain. Andrea wanted a natural, homeopathic, natural treatment that Dr. Shirazi was able to provide. Dr. Shirazi cured Andrea’s pain, cured Andrea’s TMJ, widened her palette so her tongue fits properly within her mouth. Andrea encourages patients that it’s important for people to pay attention to when you are having symptoms to get the support you need. She happily shares that it doesn’t take long to get relief even when you’ve had years of pain!
ALEXIS
Alexis had many teeth removed as a child which misaligned her upper jaw. This negatively affected her bite and caused her jaw pain, teeth grinding, headaches, foggy brain, etc. She was thrilled to have found Dr. Shirazi and knew immediately he could help her. Dr. Shirazi used the ALF appliance which takes up almost zero space in the mouth but is extremely impactful and effective. In less than 8 months her upper jaw pain is gone, her airways have opened up, she’s having less headaches and sleeping better!
STELLA
Stella had pain and severe inflammation in her jaw and cheek area for years. Anxiety and chronic jaw pain overlap frequently. Dr. Shirazi finds when the pain cycle is broken we naturally see anxiety go down which means it’s easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Stella loves Dr. Shirazi’s positive and happy energy and says he puts your mind at ease immediately. Stella is no longer in pain after working with Dr. Shirazi and the professionals at the TMJ and Sleep Therapy Centre of Conejo Valley and Los Angeles.
ROBERT
Robert had a hard time eating. His pain wasn’t bad but he could hear grinding and crunching in his jaw. Most mornings he would have lock jaw and have to push his jaw back in place upon waking. Like most people – Robert didn’t want surgery and was recommended to see Dr. Shirazi by his dentist. Dr. Shirazi found that Robert’s issue was purely a jaw/mechanical issue. After treatment by Dr. Shirazi and his team, Robert can eat his favorite tri-tip sandwiches without any jaw sounds and completely pain free . Robert is happy with his success since his jaw problems have done a “complete 180”.
PHYLLIS
Phyllis had stopped running and biking. She lost the quality of her life slowly and didn’t realize how much she had lost. Phyllis couldn’t eat because her jaw was locked therefore she was forced to live off of oatmeal. Dr. Shirazi says we can work on the sleep apnea and the jaw clenching together when we understand that both exist. Phyllis had relief the 1st day and was ecstatic when she woke up without a headache the next day!
DEBORAH
Doctors did not know what was wrong with Deborah. She was uneasy on her feet and had to have a driver take her places. Deb had come from another TMJ office and had spent a year without results. Dr. Shirazi immediately understood her issue and knew exactly how to treat Deborah. He fitted her for mouth guards for day and evening, did acupuncture, referred her out to a chiropractor that specialized in TMJ treatment and within 5 months she was “cured” as she says. Deborah is now “free”! She only wears her mouth guards at night, only goes to the chiropractor if she chooses and she is so happy to be free to live
BECKY
Becky clenched at night and was working as a dental hygienist the positions she was in was creating a lot of stress on the jaw and neck. She shared that it was hard having chronic pain. She couldn’t be herself because of chronic type headaches and pain on a daily basis. Dr. Shirazi knew that treating her TMJ disorder and dealing with the clenching would be the #1 way to shut off all, if not the majority, of her headaches. Her headaches have diminished over 80%.
CHRISTINA
When we clench it not only affects the teeth but clenches our upper trapezius muscles (in our upper back/neck) which then pulls everything below. Christina was under the impression that her back pain was causing her jaw pain but in actuality, it was the opposite – what was going on inside of her mouth was causing her back pain. No wonder physical therapists couldn’t ever help her! Once she had a frenectomy her pain went away almost immediately, coupled with the mouth guards to aid with clenching she saw great results. If the frenum is too tight once it’s released it relaxes the whole body. She can now hold her daughter without pain!
NAZ
Naz’s quality of sleep was very bad. She thought she had sleep apnea but dealt with chronic aches and pains, a lack of deep sleep accompanied with anxiety. Dr. Shirazi created a simple day appliance and night appliance that she will wear for the rest of her life. Naz now sleeps deeper and has dreams. She gets up restful and without aches and pains so she can accomplish things during the day time. She realizes it was not her and that it was something structurally wrong with her body. Naz is happy to have her life back and feel “normal” again!
ALICIA
Alicia has had a TMJ problem since she was 17 after she was in a car accident. She has been through many treatments to correct her jaw pain unsuccessfully for over half her life. She found herself always irritable and had gotten used to her pain and lack of sleep. Dr. Shirazi shares how we can become emotionally fragile when our bodies aren’t functioning properly and we just need proper care. She just needed an appliance to correct her jaw position during the day and at one for night time to help her with her clenching. That’s all she needed to turn her life around!
CARRIE
Carrie thought that she had cavities or there was something wrong with her teeth but she still had pain. She continued to be misdiagnosed. When she met with Dr. Shirazi he talked to her about stress, diet, inflammation and lifestyle change to get her off the inflammatory cycle in a way that would work in her life. Carrie had been in pain and became quiet and reserved. After the pain subsided she was able to become a better, more expressive version of herself. He then helped her with her clenching and grinding so she could get quality sleep and has helped turn her life around.
STEVE
Steve’s jaw was not in the right place and his bite had adapted to the misplaced jaw which caused additional problems. Dr. Shirazi and his team repositioned Steve’s jaw with functional TMJ therapy and aligned his teeth with orthodontics simultaneously. His teeth fit together properly for the first time! Steve was shocked that something simple and so light weight would work such wonders and without pain or discomfort whatsoever.
Sleep Apnea Success Stories
MEGAN
Megan had sleep apnea. The main indicator for her was not being able to breathe in the middle of the night which was very scary. She had heard about the CPAP but didn’t think she could do it. The problem is getting comfortable with mask and the unit and most doctors use a one-size-fits-all approach. Dr. Shirazi and his staff at TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of Conejo Valley & Los Angeles customizes each component of treatment for the individual. Not by their gender, age, size but for their specific body – something that works for their particular mouth, jaw and nose structure.
BILL
“If you are suffering from any jaw pain, if you have sleep apnea or certainly if you have tinnitus – come try this because it worked for me almost instantly.” ~Bill Bill was tired all the time. One night he turned his phone on and recorded himself sleeping where he was snoring and choking. He had a severe form of sleep apnea and at that level the options were very limited. His ears hurt and rang all the time (tinnitus). He visited ear, nose and throat specialists who wanted to put him on drugs or break his jaw. 40-60% of people can not tolerate the CPAP machine. When you pair the CPAP with a proper appliance that keeps your mouth shut without headgear you can sleep properly. Within moments of putting Dr. Shirazi’s oral appliance/mouthpiece, he immediately felt awake.
Past Patient Success Stories
JILL
Jill was a blessing to have in our practice. To me, she embodies the power of the Will. She was and is so willing to take ownership of the issues that she was presented with, and treat them, until she received the resolution she had so long wished for. As she mentions, it was not an overnight correction, but I have yet to meet someone that did not have more than one issue they were dealing with.
KAY
Kay is a delightful person that has a true passion for cooking and living life. She had to limit not only her diet because of her jaw pain, but also her passion for cooking because of chronic back pain and headaches. Within a few months she was able to eat and more importantly, cook as she did before.
KEVIN
“Kevin’s main issues were jaw clicking and jaw locking with pain. His headaches had seemed to come on at times of day he had no idea could be related to the jaw and neck.
BARBARA
Suffered with extreme fatigue, depression and a host of other issues, seeking help from a myriad of specialists. She was finally diagnosed correctly as having sleep apnea by her sleep specialist. She tried all kinds of masks for the CPAP, but could not tolerate any of them for any length of time. By treating the source of her issues, her life has turned around.
VERONICA
Veronica presented with facial pain and headaches that no one could discover the source of. Her neurologist was very thorough, even taking an MRI to rule out any vascular or neoplastic disorders. But, like the majority of a neurologist, he had no training on how the jaw can refer pain all over the head and neck region. This is not something that is taught in medical school. Our intention is to look for the root cause or causes of someone’s issues
BILL
Bill was really only aware that he sometimes would clench his teeth. He had no idea that that could be related to his jaw locking and tooth pain. Conservative therapy, as well as an earnest desire to resolve his issues, was all he needed to bring him back to normal.
CAROLE
Carole presented with snoring and witnessed apnea. She had no idea that that could be related to her fatigue and depression. A sleep study confirmed a very significant Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Oral Appliance Therapy gave her the opportunity to come back to who she really was, a positive, energetic, and bright Soul.
ROY
Was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and could not tolerate his CPAP. In his comprehensive examination we discovered that he also had Tension Type Headaches as well Jaw pain, never realizing that they could all be related. By designing and executing a custom made treatment plan that focused on his individual needs and issues, he no longer has headaches or jaw pain, and even his blood pressure has reduced significantly!
GLORIA
Had Migraines for over twenty five years. The pain was so intense it actually woke her up from her sleep! Typically we see patients who go to sleep to reduce their migraines, but not in Gloria’s case. A diagnosis and custom treatment plan was made for her that brought her relief from her migraines within a few months.