Piper Educationpipereducation.org

Dr. Mark Piper, DMD, MD

Start with the joint.

Forty years of operating on and imaging the temporomandibular joint, explained for the patients who live with it and taught to the clinicians who treat it.

I am a patient or parent I am a clinician
[Portrait of Dr. Piper]
40 yearsoperating on and imaging the TMJ
  • 40 years of microscopic TMJ surgery
  • Every case imaged by CT and MR
  • Creator of the Piper Classification
  • Founding member, American Society of TMJ Surgeons (1986)
[Anomalous model: disc and condyle]

Why the joint comes first

The teeth are often the last place a structural problem shows itself.

When the disc, the ligaments or the bone of the jaw joint change, the bite follows. So does the growing face, and often the airway. Pain may follow as well. Piper Education teaches that order: the joint foundation first, then everything built upon it.

For patients and parents

Plain answers about jaw pain, clicking and bite changes

The stages of joint damage, the questions to ask before expensive treatment, and free guides and tools to understand your own symptoms.

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For clinicians

Piper Academy

The curriculum of Joint Based Dentistry, beginning with Foundational Occlusion. Recorded chapters, a live monthly session with Dr. Piper, and a case reasoning library. Your first month is free.

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From the library

Recent articles

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[Article image]

Joint Based Imaging

When the face changes shape: what a damaged jaw joint does to the chin

Why a chin can drift toward one side, and why the answer is usually found in the jaw joint rather than the teeth.

Free eBooks

Read every guide free, online.

Each eBook answers one question fully, in plain language. Read it here at no cost, or have the PDF sent to you.

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"I am not here to tell anyone their treatment was wrong. I am here to provide an anatomical baseline and explain the advantages of looking at the foundation first."
Dr. Mark Piper