2023 Dental Assistant Program

Rose Nierman is the founder and CEO of Nierman Practice Management, a company dedicated to providing medical billing, sleep medicine, and TMD solutions for dental practices.

In the mid-80’s Rose Nierman was working as a hygienist and office manager at a dental practice that focused on treating TMJ and sleep related airway disorders. To increase patient coverage, Rose set out to learn everything about the nuances of medical billing, including how to obtain approvals and reimbursements for her practice. Soon, using her methods, the office’s revenue skyrocketed as they received payment for TMJ, sleep apnea oral appliance therapy, and oral surgeries. That was the beginning of the cross-coding movement that Rose Nierman has helmed for over 30 years.

Experienced Owner with a demonstrated history of working in the dental practice industry. Skilled in Dentistry, Temporomandibular joint Disorders, Pain Management and Sleep Disordered Breathing. Strong entrepreneurship professional with a Medico Legal Expertise Program focused in Insurance Medicine from Université de Montréal.

Board-certified in Orofacial Pain (ABOP). Specializes in TMJ & Facial Pain, Oral diseases, Head & Neck Pain, Chronic Pain Management, and Sleep Medicine. Strong healthcare services professional with a Graduate Certificate in Oral Medicine focused in Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences from University of Southern California.

Dr. Jaisri R. Thoppay graduated Dental school in 1998 from Dr. MGR Medical University, India. Dr. Thoppay has completed a residency in Oral Medicine as well as a fellowship in Interdisciplinary Geriatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and is a Diplomate of American Board of Oral Medicine and board eligible for American Board of Orofacial Pain.

Dr. Thoppay has extensive experience in clinical dentistry with a special focus on managing medically complex dental patients and orofacial diseases. As faculty at dental schools in the US and abroad she is actively involved in teaching and has conducted clinical research in dentistry.

Dr. Thoppay’s clinical research areas are oral cancer care, dry mouth, burning mouth, temporomandibular joint disorder, and Sjogren’s Syndrome patients. She has lectured nationally and internationally, authored peer-review publications and book chapters. Dr. Thoppay holds memberships in national and international academies and societies and keeps her knowledge updated with current evidence-base and best practices.

Dr. Wright received his dental degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1977. After practicing general dentistry in the Air Force for ten years, he attended the Air Force’s 1-year Advanced Clinical Dentistry Program. In 1992, Dr. Wright entered the 2-year TMJ and Craniofacial Pain Program at the University of Minnesota. From 1994 to 2001, he was the head Air Force dentist for TMD.

In 2003, Dr. Wright completed a 2-year Dental Research Fellowship with the Veterans Health Care System (VA) where he studied headache patients treated with TMD appliance therapy. He is the author of the book “Manual of Temporomandibular Disorders,” which is in its 3rd edition. Dr. Wright is the UTHSCSA’s Course Director for their TMD Course, Dental Anatomy and Occlusion Course, and Occlusion and TMD Course. He is a Master of the Academy of General Dentistry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain. Dr. Wright is the primary author of over 50 journal articles. Dr. Wright restricts his practice to treating TMD patients in the dental school’s Faculty Practice Clinic.

Dr. Mayoor Patel received his dental degree from the University of Tennessee in 1994 and then went on to complete a one-year residency in Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD). He also earned a Masters in Science from Tufts University in 2011.

Additionally, Dr. Patel served as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor at the Craniofacial Pain Center at Tufts Dental School from 2011-2014 and presently again.

I have more than 25 years of experience in diagnosis and treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders , Orofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine. Having a private practice in Valencia-Spain- I also devoted to expand the knowledge in the field lecturing internationally on the topics of sleep bruxism, temporomandibular disorders, sleep apnea and orofacial pain and headaches.

Originally from Nutley, NJ, Dr. Dinan graduated from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – New Jersey Dental School in 2013.

Upon graduating from dental school, he entered active duty military service as a dentist in the United States Air Force. He completed a one-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at Joint Base Andrews (Maryland) in 2014 and a three-year Orofacial Pain residency at the Naval Postgraduate Dental School (Bethesda, MD) in 2020.

He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain and currently serves as Director, Orofacial Pain at Travis Air Force Base (California).

Dr. May Al-Khudhairy graduated from King Saud University’s Dental School in 2004 with a BDS in Dental Surgery (General Dentist). She and her husband both granted the Kingdoms scholarship program and furthered their careers in Massachusetts, USA. There she matriculated in 2006 at Harvard School of Dental Medicine where she welcomed a Doctor of Medical Sciences (DMSc) degree in Oral Biology and a Fellowship in Orofacial Pain (attained in 2010).

She returned to Saudi Arabia in 2012 during which time she studied for her Boards, in addition a Fellowship from the American Academy of Orofacial Pain and American Board of Orofacial Pain.

She started working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery at the Dental College of Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy from 2014.

In 2018, she was nominated to Acting Dean of the College of Applied Medical Sciences at Riyadh Elm University (formerly known as Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy). She spends her time accommodating her pain patients needs, conducting research in Orofacial Pain, teaching- academia and administrative work whilst being as much a mother (friend, confidante, advocate) as can be to her children and immediate family.

Dr. Shaun O’Connor is the owner of Catamount Physical Therapy and is a Co-Owner of Fitness Options Personal Training Studio. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. He returned to UVM and completed a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy in 1995. In 2017, he completed his Doctorate in Physical Therapy through Evidence in Motion.

Dr. O’Connor is a Diplomat of the Physical Therapy Board of Craniofacial and Cervical Therapeutics (PTBCCT). He is a member of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain (AAOP) and is one of the few Board Certified Cervical and Temporomandibular Therapist in the United States.

He is a guest lecturer for the UVM Doctorate Physical Therapy program and has presented at local and national conferences.His specialty is integrative therapy for patients with oral-maxillofacial pain, temporomandibular disorders (TMD), cervical spine disorders and headaches.

His passions outside of work are spending time with his family and enjoying outdoor activities.

Orofacial Pain specialist and Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain the National Certifying Board Diplomate American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine

I am an Orofacial Pain specialist and I enjoy helping patients suffering from pain in the jaw, head and neck; clicking, popping and locking of the TMJs; headaches; ear pain; tinnitus; burning mouth syndrome; oral neuropathic pain. I apply a comprehensive treatment approach including different treatment options individualized to the patient’s diagnosis, like individual education and self-care recommendations; injections like trigger point injections, nerve blocks, therapeutic Botox for facial pain and bruxism; PRF injections for musculo-skeletal pain; splint therapy; physical therapy; laser therapy; medication management; oral appliances for snoring and OSA.