Dental Sleep Medicine Insider January 2016 | Page 30
Who’s
HO
W
Dr. Tara Griffin
Dr. Tara Griffin is a partner with Dr. Gy Yatros at Dental Sleep Solutions with offices in Bradenton, Sarasota and Tampa. She is a 1998 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry. She was in private practice as a comprehensive restorative/TMD dentist in her home state of Illinois for several years in which she successfully integrated
Dental Sleep Medicine. Over the past three years, she has limited her practice to dental sleep medicine and management of TMD. She holds professional memberships in the AADSM, AAOP, AASM, AHS, AAPM, and the ADA. She can be
contacted at [email protected].
Brandie: What prompted you to focus exclusively on
DSM & TMD?
Dr. Griffin: Basically, my passion for helping people
and improving quality of life. It is astonishing how
many people suffer from headaches, face, neck and
back pain, or dizziness without ever really knowing the
cause of their pain. Patients try seeking a medical cure
for their discomfort. Unfortunately, after years of unsuccessful treatment they learn to live with pain, often
with the aid of medications.
My own experience with a temporomandibular joint
disorder (TMJ) allows me to empathize with patients,
not only through the pain they’re experiencing but
also with the frustration they feel when previous treatments have failed to bring them relief.
Brandie: Tell me about the transition from GP to your
focus on DSM & TMD.
Dr. Griffin: While at the University of Kentucky College
of Dentistry, I met Dr. Jeff Okeson who gave me my
first real introduction into the world of orofacial pain.
During my GPR at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center
in Virginia, I was trained to manage medically and
psychologically compromised patients. I completed
courses through the Dawson Academy and Pankey Institute and joined organizations such as the American
Academy of Orofacial Pain and American Equilibration Society.
“My own experience with a temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) allows me to empathize
with patients, not only through the pain they’re
experiencing but also with the frustration they
feel when previous treatments have failed to bring
them relief.”
I made my share of nightguards over the years and
then started asking these patients about snoring. This
peaked my interest even more and made me think
there’s got to be more to this; I completed training in
dental sleep medicine, including a TMJ/airway dissection course. My passion for providing TMD and OSA
treatment was ignited!