Dr. Andres Martinez Porras

Dr. Martinez designs custom oral appliances, including TMJ mouthguards and mandibular advancement devices (MADs), to address jaw disorders, snoring, and obstructive sleep apnea. As a dual board-certified specialist in both Orofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine, he selects and fits each device based on a thorough evaluation of the jaw, bite, and sleep profile. For patients with sleep apnea who cannot tolerate CPAP, these custom devices offer a clinically effective and comfortable alternative.

Related on MSD

ProcedureOral Appliance Therapy: Custom Mouthguards for TMJ, Bruxism, and Sleep Apnea

Dr. Martinez uses trigger point injections to address localized muscle pain that drives TMJ disorders and orofacial pain conditions. These injections target tight, painful bands in the jaw and neck muscles, releasing tension that sustains chronic pain cycles. This approach is particularly valuable for patients whose pain has a significant muscular component and who have not found lasting relief through splints or medications alone.

For patients with persistent nerve-driven facial and jaw pain, Dr. Martinez performs minimally invasive nerve block procedures. These injections interrupt pain signals at specific nerve pathways, providing targeted relief and helping to confirm the origin of complex or hard-to-diagnose pain presentations. Nerve blocks serve as both a diagnostic tool and a therapeutic intervention within a broader treatment plan.

Dr. Martinez uses Botox as a therapeutic tool, not a cosmetic one, to treat TMJ jaw pain, chronic headaches, nerve pain, and bruxism. By relaxing overactive jaw muscles, Botox reduces mechanical strain on the TMJ and can interrupt long-standing pain cycles. This approach is evidence-based and appropriate for select patients whose pain is driven by muscle overactivity that has not responded adequately to other first-line interventions.

Related on MSD

GuideBotox for TMJ: How Injections Relieve Jaw Pain and Muscle Tension

Dr. Martinez applies a targeted pharmacologic strategy based on the specific mechanism driving each patient's pain. He prescribes muscle relaxants to quiet jaw overactivity, anti-inflammatory agents to reduce joint and tissue swelling, and nerve pain medications for neuropathic facial pain. Medications are selected as part of a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to the patient's diagnosis and lifestyle, not as a standalone solution.

Dr. Martinez prescribes structured therapeutic jaw exercises as a core component of TMD rehabilitation. These movements restore range of motion, reduce joint stiffness, and retrain the muscles around the jaw to function without triggering pain. Exercise programs are matched to each patient's specific limitations and integrated with other active treatments to support long-term recovery.

Dr. Martinez integrates physical therapy into comprehensive TMD and orofacial pain treatment plans, addressing the muscles, joints, and posture patterns that drive jaw and facial pain, especially when symptoms extend into the neck and upper back. This reflects his multidisciplinary philosophy of treating the full system contributing to pain rather than the joint in isolation.

Dr. Martinez incorporates behavioral modification strategies to address habit-driven contributors to jaw pain and TMD, including clenching, bracing, and daytime parafunctional behaviors. These evidence-based approaches help patients recognize and change the patterns that sustain their symptoms, creating improvements that extend the results of physical and pharmacologic treatments.

For a select group of patients with structural TMJ problems that do not respond to conservative care, Dr. Martinez offers minimally invasive surgical options. These procedures are reserved for cases where evidence supports surgical intervention and are performed with precision to minimize recovery time and risk. Surgery is never the first option and follows a thorough course of non-surgical treatment.