Tmj Clinic

WARNING: If you are considering seeing Dr. Summer for a sleep apnea mouthpiece, DON’T. He is a thief and a quack and should not be in the business of treating sleep apnea.

Main points: 1) Dr. Summer lied to me regarding the efficacy of his mouthpiece. 2) He lied to me about my insurance coverage. 3) His mouthpiece made my sleep apnea worse.

1) First of all, I should have taken my sleep doctor’s recommendation regarding whom to see for a sleep apnea mouthpiece (after having an in-lab sleep study done and discovering I had sleep apnea); instead, I listened to my primary care doctor, who referred me to him because of the TMJ mouthguard he made for her. Dr. Summer led me to believe that his mouthpiece would be 100% effective in treating my sleep apnea – he never, EVER once mentioned it was only 50% effective; if he had done so, I absolutely would not have spent $1,500 on it, but would have explored other options first.

2) I agreed to have the mouthpiece made by him because he told me my insurance (Moda) would not cover a mouthpiece anywhere, and that I should choose him because he charges half of what other providers do. I made the very expensive, very stupid mistake of taking this thief at his word, as calling Moda after the fact, I found out that they do indeed cover 90% of mouthpieces as long as I see an in-network provider (which he was not). Congratulations, Dr. Summer, you fooled me.

3) A follow-up sleep study found that his device actually exacerbated my sleep apnea along with causing neck and jaw pain. Since this discovery, I have filed complaints with the BBB, FTC, the State of Oregon, and the Oregon Board of Dentistry. I have also had another mouthpiece made that only cost $300 after my insurance covered the rest. This was made by a group of professional dentists and prosthodontists (who specialize in sleep apnea mouthpieces) at Fusion Dental Specialists. They also provided me with what the entire dental field agrees is a key part of treatment, which is a retainer that is worn in the morning after wearing the mouthpiece (but which Dr. Summer denies is part of the treatment process).

Dr. Summer has constructed a persona that gives the impression that he is some kind of rebel or pioneer in his field; I can assure you, he is not only clueless, but reckless. I sincerely hope you will learn from my mistakes and protest by not giving this thief more money. Thanks for reading and best of luck in your sleep apnea treatment journey.

I highly recommend Dr. John Summer. I was able to make a same-​day appointment and they made a mouthpiece for me that very night. It was amazingly fast and it worked great! Also he gave me a lot of information that was specific to my problem, and it all made sense.

Dr. Summer is amazing. I got referred here via an ENT then a dentist for recurring headaches and what I thought were sinus issues. After sitting with Dr. Summer for less than two minutes, he recommended a mouth piece to wear at night. I went in for my initial appointment on a Wednesday, got molded that day, and picked up my mouth piece on Friday. He also provided lots of very informative paperwork, one of which explains the mouth piece and also the cost of it. After getting it adjusted and wearing it for a couple of weeks, no more headaches! And my bite is reverting back to where it should be (which I hadn’t even noticed how off it was until I saw him). He is clearly very knowledgeable about what he does, and I would recommend him to anyone that has TMJ issues.

Thank you Dr Summer! I had the worst case of TMJ imaginable, and finally heard from my dentist to go to Dr Summer. He fitted me with a small mouth piece. I was hesitant and didn’t really think such a simple thing could help, BUT IT DID! 100%! It took a few months of wearing the device each night, and I still wear it a few nights a weeks just to make sure it doesn’t return! I will definitely recommend Dr Summer to anyone with TMJ pain… I’m shocked by some of these negative reviews because I had nothing but a positive experience with the doctor, his receptionist and the price. Sallie

I’m sad to see the negative reviews here, because I can only imagine the huge number of people who have had the incredibly positive experience that I had with Dr. Summer and the TMJ Clinic. Five stars is supposed to be «as good as it gets» but my experience was even BETTER than that because I had given up hope of finding someone with the skills to solve my TMJ problems.
I «clicked» every single time I tried to open my mouth for 20 years — having to figure out how to «unhook» to open my mouth each morning, distracting fellow choir members as I opened my mouth to sing, and at times, not being able to open, or bite, at all. I tried many, many highly recommended practitioners — chiropractors, massage and physical therapists, dentists with orthodontic skills — who all promised results, and none of their treatments worked for me.
Then, one day, my jaw clicked as I was flipping over during a massage. «What was THAT?» the therapist said. «Oh, just my jaw. It always does that.» She knew of Dr. Summer, and his incredibly intelligent and unique approach. It involved a two-​hour drive to Portland, but I was willing to try anything.
I’m here to say that the day I had my first appointment with Dr. Summer was the LAST day I ever «clicked.» He knew what to do, and he did it with great skill. I also love that he is a dentist that is able to function without a bunch of assistants. He just keeps it simple and direct, and I’ll never stop feeling grateful for his help. It’s been almost 10 years, now, since he solved my problem, and it hasn’t recurred in the slightest. Really, it feels like a miracle. I’ve needed a little updating, and am always so glad that he’s still there!

I can’t even express how awful my experience with these people was… I went in for a daytime piece and a night mouth guard. I arrived and the dentist had no receptionist and said that she was «on her way in». After my exam and the dentist telling me his suggestions we talked about cost and insurance. I was lead to believe that the usual cost of these pieces is up to $ 500. I called my insurance while in the office with the dentist and they told me that I did have coverage. I left happy but a little weirded out by the office (alone with dentist the whole time) and the fact that his receptionist never showed up. Went back a few days later to get my mouth guards (happy with the turn around time) and his receptionist was again not there. He fitted them to me and I left expecting a small bill soon. I never received anything!!!
2 months later my mouth guard starting falling apart and I could never get the office to answer) I wonder why… I just did my own small repairs to the mouth guard and kept being un happy with it. 6 months later I receive a bill saying it’s the final notice and it’s going to collections if I don’t pay. It was for $ 1100! I called and the receptionist actually answered! She was AWFUL! I explained that I had never received a bill, I had no idea if insurance had even been billed. She fought back saying they had sent several notices and that they never came back to them in the mail so I must be lying. She didn’t know how to use her own system to find out if my account had already been reported to collections. I made a small payment to start off and then 2 weeks later got a notice from a collection agency for the money. I will never allow any one I know to ever go here, nor will I ever talk to this office again. Horrible experience all around and now I’m screwed cause I can’t afford another mouth piece and mine is totally broken. It changed my bite to help with the jaw slipping back and cracking and now I can’t NOT wear it cause my bite doesn’t line up. UGH!!!

Front off staff was nice at first. When calling in I was placed on hold many times. Which is fine until you get the phone lines mixed and when you pick up the phone and say I have an annoying customer that has a bunch of questions. Well that annoying customer was me. They also do not give you enough information about the polices that they have, and how they work.. I being ask to pay for something that i did not get my approval on. I can tell you that i will not will not be telling people to come here. I know for a fact that I will not go back or pay for anything i did not approve.