Dr. Maryam Motlagh has dedicated her professional life to treating patients with a holistic approach that identifies the underlying
cause of a problem rather than solely treating the symptoms. Having suffered from TMJ disorder, she developed a passion for offering a conservative approach to jaw alignment. After completing postgraduate studies at places like the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies and the International College of Craniomandibular Orthopedics, Dr. Motlagh—who has a general dentistry practice in Portland, OR—has dedicated her career to helping patients dealing with TMJ and airway issues.
“As I learned more about TMJ and jaw popping and clicking, I learned about the intimate connection between TMJ problems and the airway," she said. "So I came up with a multidisciplinary approach to dental care.”
Treating the Cause
Dr. Motlagh developed Myoaligner, a patented, nonsurgical treatment protocol that helps alleviate most TMJ-related pain and headaches. Based on principles of physiologic and neuromuscular treatment modalities, Myoaligner focuses on relaxing the fatigued jaw and neck muscles using FDA-cleared ULF-TENS on the masticatory muscles while maintaining optimal physiology during function and chewing. By realigning the jaw to the correct position, Myoaligner addresses the cause of problems such as jaw pain, headaches, poor facial profile, or other symptoms stemming from jaw misalignment.
“It’s a functional appliance that patients can wear 24/7, and talk and eat while it’s in the mouth," explained Dr. Motlagh. "It acts as an orthotic, but at the same time, it’s a bio-remodeling treatment solution.” With Myoaligner, dentists have a treatment protocol that is both affordable for patients and easy to integrate in the practice with a 90-minute onboarding process for the team. The digital workflow involves sending a scan to Myoaligner, which designs, manufactures, and ships the appliance, providing clinical support throughout.
“Our mission at Myoaligner is to impact public health by empowering dentists with bio-remodeling solutions that are accessible to the masses,” Dr. Motlagh said.
