An Interdisciplinary Continuum — From TMJ Health to Airway Function
Overview
The face is more than its parts. TMJ health, airway function, craniofacial growth, orofacial musculature, and dental occlusion are deeply interconnected — yet rarely addressed together in clinical practice.
Face First 2026 brings together restorative dentists, orthodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and myofunctional therapists to explore this relationship and the collaborative care models needed to serve patients more completely.
Seminar Objectives
· Describe the interdependence of temporomandibular joint health, airway function, craniofacial growth, and orofacial muscle function, as components of an integrated physiologic system and occlusal stability.
· Identify the core and extended team members required to deliver integrated TMJ, craniofacial, and airway-focused care, and outline a practical framework for interdisciplinary collaboration.
· Apply interdisciplinary principles from this seminar to evaluate current practice patterns and identify opportunities for integrating TMJ, airway, craniofacial, and orofacial muscle function-focused care into clinical workflow.
Seminar Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST
Dates: November 20-21, 2026
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
CE Credits: 12
CE Codes: #182
Speakers:
Dr. Brian Shah
Dr. Drew McDonald
Dr. Jeff Rouse
Dr. George Mandelaris
Dr. Claire Ferrari
Dr. James Otten
Dr. Bill Robbins
Dr. Curt Ringhofer
Dr. Peter Lemieux
Dr. James McKee
Sandraluz Gonzalez, RDH
Target Audience: Restorative Dentists, Specialists, Myofunctional Therapists, Physical Therapists, Lab Technicians
Recommended Prerequisites: None
Location:The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club
Address: 501 5th Ave NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Meeting Room: Mirror Lake
Accommodations: Hilton Bayfront St. Petersburg
Due to the popularity of this seminar, the Vinoy group rooms have filled. We have made special arrangements with the Hilton to receive a discounted rate. The Hilton is about a 15-minute walk or short ride to the Vinoy.
Address: 333 1st St SE, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701
Hilton Group Discount - https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=SPTSHHF&corporateCode=N3584568
An Interdisciplinary Continuum — From TMJ Health to Airway Function
Overview
The face is more than its parts. TMJ health, airway function, craniofacial growth, orofacial musculature, and dental occlusion are deeply interconnected — yet rarely addressed together in clinical practice.
Face First 2026 brings together restorative dentists, orthodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and myofunctional therapists to explore this relationship and the collaborative care models needed to serve patients more completely.
Seminar Objectives
· Describe the interdependence of temporomandibular joint health, airway function, craniofacial growth, and orofacial muscle function, as components of an integrated physiologic system and occlusal stability.
· Identify the core and extended team members required to deliver integrated TMJ, craniofacial, and airway-focused care, and outline a practical framework for interdisciplinary collaboration.
· Apply interdisciplinary principles from this seminar to evaluate current practice patterns and identify opportunities for integrating TMJ, airway, craniofacial, and orofacial muscle function-focused care into clinical workflow.
Seminar Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST
Dates: November 20-21, 2026
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
CE Credits: 12
CE Codes: #182
Speakers:
Dr. Brian Shah
Dr. Drew McDonald
Dr. Jeff Rouse
Dr. George Mandelaris
Dr. Claire Ferrari
Dr. James Otten
Dr. Bill Robbins
Dr. Curt Ringhofer
Dr. Peter Lemieux
Dr. James McKee
Sandraluz Gonzalez, RDH
Target Audience: Restorative Dentists, Specialists, Myofunctional Therapists, Physical Therapists, Lab Technicians
Recommended Prerequisites: None
Location:The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club
Address: 501 5th Ave NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Meeting Room: Mirror Lake
Accommodations: Hilton Bayfront St. Petersburg
Due to the popularity of this seminar, the Vinoy group rooms have filled. We have made special arrangements with the Hilton to receive a discounted rate. The Hilton is about a 15-minute walk or short ride to the Vinoy.
Address: 333 1st St SE, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33701
Hilton Group Discount - https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=SPTSHHF&corporateCode=N3584568
Sandraluz Gonzalez, BSDH, COM, BBE is a Registered Dental Hygienist and Certified Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, specializing in temporomandibular disorders (TMD), airway health, and orofacial myofunctional disorders. She is the owner of Southwest Myofunctional Therapy, where she focuses on TMJ dysfunction, sleep-disordered breathing, and oral habit elimination.
Her clinical foundation in TMD includes training with The Dawson Academy, continued education through SPEAR Education, and years of involvement with the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain (AACP). She completed her myofunctional therapy training through AOMT and is IAOM certified (2019).
Sandraluz currently serves as faculty and contributes to research initiatives with The Breathe Institute. She is passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration and advancing evidence-based care in TMD and airway health.
Dr. Mandelaris attended the University of Michigan from undergraduate through dental school. He completed a post-graduate residency program at the University of Louisville, School of Dentistry, where he obtained a certificate in the speciality of Periodontology as well as a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Oral Biology. Dr. Mandelaris is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and is a Fellow in the American and International College of Dentists, the Academy of Osseointegration, as well as the Pierre Fauchard Academy.
Dr. Mandelaris has published over 40 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and has authored fourteen chapters in ten different textbooks used worldwide on subjects related to computer guided implantology, CT/CBCT diagnostics and surgically facilitated orthodontic therapy (SFOT). In 2023, he authored and edited the book: Surgically Facilitated Orthodontic Therapy: An Interdisciplinary Approach (Springer) - one of the first textbooks of its kind in the profession.
Dr Mandelaris is a two-time recipient of the American Academy of Periodontology’s (AAP) Clinical Research Award (2017 & 2021), an award given to the most outstanding scientific article with direct clinical relevance in Periodontics. A nationally recognized expert, he was appointed by AAP to co-chair the 2017 Best Evidence Consensus Workshop on the use of CBCT Imaging in Periodontics as well as co-author the academy’s guidelines. In 2018, he was recognized with American Academy of Periodontology’s Special Citation Award. Dr. Mandelaris is the 2018 recipient of The Saul Schluger Memorial Award for Clinical Excellence in Diagnosis and Treatment Planning.
Dr. Mandelaris currently serves on the American Academy of Periodontology Board of Trustees. Dr. Mandelaris is in private practice at Periodontal Medicine & Surgical Specialists in Glenview and Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. He limits his practice to Periodontology, Dental Implant Surgery, Bone Reconstruction and Tissue Engineering Surgery.
Jim developed a restoratively based private practice in Downers Grove, Illinois with an emphasis on treating patients with structurally altered TM joints. In addition to private practice, Jim is a published author who has lectured national and internationally for over 30 years. Jim provides a new perspective on occlusion and TM joints that simplifies treatment planning occlusal, orthodontic, restorative, orthognathic and airway patients. This logical approach helps dentists create thriving practices with an increased level of fulfillment.
He is the founder of the Chicago Study Club program and has extensive experience in directing study clubs in the United States and Canada. He is a Resident Faculty member at Spear Education in Scottsdale, Arizona. Jim is a past-president of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and the American Equilibration Society.
Dr. James Otten maintained a full time restorative practice in Lawrence, Kansas from 1984 to 2023 focusing on interdisciplinary dentistry, TM Joint stability and whole person health. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry in 1981 and completed a General and Hospital Dentistry Residency at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Leavenworth, Kansas in 1982.
Dr. Otten completed the entire educational series at the Dawson Academy and at the Pankey Institute. In addition, he completed the Educational Series at the Piper Education and Research Center. He served as Visiting and Lead Faculty at the Pankey Institute from 1996-2018, was a member of the Curriculum Development Committee from 1996-2012, Board of Directors and was the organization’s Provost from 2008 -2010. He has also serves as Visiting Faculty at Spear Education from 2014 to present.
He has lectured both nationally and internationally on Occlusion, Joint Based Occlusion, Precision Occlusal Splint Therapy, Optimal Restorative Care, and the Integration of Airway Health into the compromised TM Joint patient. He is a Fellow in the American College of Dentists, a member of the Class One Triple Plus Club at the Pankey Institute, and a member and former Committee chair of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry.
He has co-authored several articles in juried publications on the topic of Occlusion and currently serves as co-founder and CEO of Global Diagnosis Education, facilitating the learning and growth of the highly skilled passionate professional through their educational platform and personal mentoring and coaching.
Dr. Ringhofer graduated from the University of Illinois Dental School in 1999 and has over two decades of experience treating complex restorative cases and patients suffering from temporomandibular joint disorders. He is currently an instructor in the Occlusion Workshop, sharing his knowledge on the connection between occlusion and predictable dentistry.
He has maintained a private practice in Orland Park, IL, since 2001 and has lectured on occlusion and temporomandibular joint disorders to various groups and study clubs throughout the country. He is a member of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, a past president of the American Equilibration Society, and a co-founder of the Chicago Study Club.
J. William Robbins, D.D.S., M.A., maintains a private practice and is Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry at the U. T. Health San Antonio Dental School. He graduated from the University of Tennessee Dental School in 1973. He completed a rotating internship at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas and a 2-year General Practice Residency at the V. A. Hospital in San Diego, California.
Dr. Robbins has published over 80 articles, abstracts, and chapters on a wide range of dental subjects and has lectured in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe, Middle East, China, Australian New Zealand and Africa. He coauthored a textbook, Fundamentals of Operative Dentistry – A Contemporary Approach, published by Quintessence, now in its 4th edition.
More recently, he co-authored a textbook, Global Diagnosis – A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, also published by Quintessence. A second edition of this book will be published in 2026. He has won numerous teaching and professional awards and is a diplomat of the American Board of General Dentistry. He is past president of multiple major restorative and operative dentistry organizations.
Jeffrey S. Rouse, D.D.S. maintains a private practice limited to prosthodontics in San Antonio, Texas. In 2017, he became a member of the Resident Faculty at Spear Education in Scottsdale, AZ. After graduation from dental school in San Antonio, Dr. Rouse completed a 2-year General Practice Residency at the University of Connecticut Health Science Center. He practiced family dentistry for twelve years before returning to school.
Dr. Rouse received his specialty certificate in Prosthodontics from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 2004. He is a past president of the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry and the Southwest Academy of Restorative Dentistry and a member of the American College of Prosthodontists.
Dr. Rouse has written numerous journal articles and co-authored the textbook “Global” Diagnosis: A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning with Dr. Bill Robbins. He lectures nationally and internationally on topics ranging from dental esthetics to airway prosthodontics.
Dr. Peter Lemieux maintains a private comprehensive general practice in Winter Park, Florida with a focus on the diagnosis and treatment of TM joint disorders including the use of both CBCT and MR imaging. He has pursued advanced dental education through the Dawson Center, the Pankey Institute, and the Piper Education and Research Clinic, and is a study club leader for Spear Education. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling and exploring National Parks with his wife and two children.
