Dr. Auvenshine bills himself as some kind of TMJ expert. My opinion is that it is a huge scam and Dr. A's primary interest is in collecting his outrageous fee. Here is the breakdown: total cost of ""treatment"": $4000. This consisted of taking photos & xrays, making a mold of my teeth & making a nightguard appliance. Yes, every other dentist charges about $400-$500 for this but you get Auvenshine's special ""expertise"". Part of this charge includes your ""discharge"" appt which consists of more pictures. I asked how additional pictures were designed to further my treatment & it turns out, they weren't - they were to document my ""progress"" so Dr. A could claim some type of ""success"". \r
One more thing, after 1 year, ""adjustments"" to the nightguard (free at any other dentist), are $185. You'd think you'd get top-notch service, right? Not so. Long waits (in an empty office), uninformed staff, & - get this - he won't even clean or polish the nightguard. \r
Yes, but does his magic treatment work. My opinion (having worn a nightguard for over 25 year) is that it does, but not any better than the appliances I've previously gotten from my regular dentist. In fact, originally, it made my jaw much worse - Dr. A physically stretched my jaw open (despite the fact that I was already in pain) to ""prove"" that I was improving because my jaw opened another millimeter. I actually finally got relief using muscle relaxers proscribed by my regular dentist. \r
My recommendation is to go to Dr. A only as a last resort. Try a few other regular dentists who will fit you with a nightguard before going down this road. A regular dentist will typically charge $400-$500 for a nightguard with lifetime adjustments for free. Auvenshine charges $4000 and charges you for adjustments after a year. Add on to that the ""replacement charge"" if you lose or break it. Most doctors will just charge you another $400-$500 but with Dr. A, its around $1000.
Pros: Its works
Cons: But no better than conventional treatment; outrageously expensive
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