Restful Sleep & Pain-Free Living in Raleigh, NC
Specialized treatment for Sleep Apnea and TMJ disorders at our Cary office, serving Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle, combining advanced care with personalized comfort so you can breathe, sleep, and live better.
Non Surgical Solutions
Our treatments focus on craniofacial pain and sleep-related breathing disorders.
We look at the system.
TMJ dysfunction isn’t one single disease with one single cause. Temporomandibular disorders can involve far more than the joint itself: symptoms may be influenced by joint health, muscle function, airway and sleep, cervical mechanics, behavior, stress, pain processing and other health factors.
That is why our evaluation asks a more useful question — why is this patient’s system producing these symptoms?
TMJ & Craniofacial
Joint health, occlusion and oral structures.
Airway & Sleep
Breathing, recovery and sleep quality.
Cervical & Movement
Neck mechanics, posture and mobility.
Neuromuscular
Muscle function and compensation.
Systemic Health
Relevant health and inflammatory factors.
Stress & Pain Processing
Behavior, distress and sensitization.
The significance of each domain differs from patient to patient. Our job is to identify the clinical drivers and contributing factors most relevant to your presentation.
About Dr. Charles Ferzli, DDS
He is dual board certified in the field of dental sleep medicine and in craniofacial pain. Since 2001, he has helped several hundred patients in Cary, Raleigh and Durham find relief from their symptoms related to TMJ disorders.
Keep in mind that health-related treatments are not guaranteed, and that includes TMJ treatments. However, according to studies by Brown & Gaudet, 88% of 2,104 patients have been successfully treated from jaw-related headache treatments. Dr. Ferzli is proud to say that he has a similar success rate.
American Board of Craniofacial Pain
DiplomateAmerican Board of Craniofacial Dental Sleep Medicine
DiplomateAmerican Academy of Craniofacial Pain
FellowThe Ferzli Clinical Systems Model™
A repeatable framework for seeing the whole picture, choosing the right care and measuring what happens next. Every plan runs the same five steps, and the last one loops back to the first.
Understand
Begin with the whole clinical picture — not a single symptom in isolation.
Identify
Determine whether jaw dysfunction is primary, compensatory, or part of a more complex system.
Personalize
Build a plan around the findings and the domains that matter for you.
Collaborate
Bring in the right disciplines when care needs to extend beyond our office — physical therapy, ENT, sleep medicine, behavioral health, myofunctional therapy and primary care.
Reassess
Measure response, refine the plan, and keep the care pathway accountable.
BREATHE
How Jaw Function and Breathing Are Connected
Many people living with temporomandibular joint disorders experience daily jaw pain, headaches, muscle tension, and clicking or popping in the jaw. These symptoms are often ignored or masked with pain medication rather than addressed at the source. Poor jaw alignment, clenching, teeth grinding, and airway restriction can disrupt healthy breathing patterns, placing constant strain on the TMJ and surrounding muscles.
SLEEP
Signs of TMJ and Sleep Disordered Breathing
Difficulty falling asleep, waking frequently during the night, dry mouth, snoring, and daytime fatigue are common indicators of sleep-disordered breathing. Many patients also experience teeth grinding, worn or broken teeth, earaches, neck pain, and a sense of fullness in the ears while sleeping. When sleep quality suffers, the body cannot properly recover, allowing TMJ pain and inflammation to progress.
HEAL
Address the Root Cause of Chronic Pain
TMJ dysfunction presents differently for every patient. Symptoms may include digestive problems, acid reflux, anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating, high blood pressure, or periodontal disease. You do not need to experience every symptom to benefit from treatment. Healing begins by identifying and correcting the underlying causes affecting jaw function, airway health, and the nervous system instead of simply masking pain.
LIVE
Relief From TMJ Pain and Better Sleep
If you answered yes to many of the common TMJ and sleep-related symptoms, you are likely in the right place. Chronic jaw pain, headaches, poor sleep, and daily fatigue do not have to be normal. With comprehensive TMJ and airway-focused care, patients often experience improved sleep quality, reduced pain, increased energy, and a better overall quality of life.
Treatment follows the findings.
Technology is a tool, not the philosophy. When an assessment identifies a domain that may benefit from a specific therapy or adjunctive technology, we explain the clinical rationale and how it fits the larger plan.
Stabilize
Joint and orofacial care: oral appliances, targeted pain care, photobiomodulation and self-management when indicated.
Restore
Muscle and movement: neuromuscular rehabilitation, mobility support and coordinated physical care.
Regulate
Nervous-system support: appropriate behavioral-health and pain-processing support as part of a wider plan.
Breathe & Sleep
Airway and recovery: airway assessment, sleep strategies and oral appliance therapy when clinically appropriate.
Complexity, not a hierarchy.
More treatment is not automatically better treatment. The right plan is the one that matches the clinical picture.
Foundational Care
For presentations centered largely on TMJ and orofacial function — individualized joint and muscle care, home-care and self-management, and periodic reassessment.
Integrated Care
When an additional domain such as sleep, movement or pain processing needs attention — foundational therapies as indicated, targeted adjunctive care and collaborative referral when helpful.
Comprehensive Systems Care
For complex cases in which several clinical domains may be interacting — multiple therapeutic domains, coordinated interdisciplinary care and longitudinal outcome tracking.
Depending on clinical findings, care may incorporate oral appliances, photobiomodulation, neuromuscular rehabilitation, EXOMIND, EMSCULPT NEO or other appropriate therapies. Every recommendation begins with diagnosis and rationale.
Conditions We Treat
Adult
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain affects daily life and sleep. We uncover the root causes and use non-surgical therapies to restore lasting comfort, function, and resilience.
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Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a disorder where a person will have a regular interval or pause in his/her breath while sleeping. Pause in the breath may occur around 25 times or more in an hour. After the pause, when the normal breathing starts, a choking noise or snort sound maybe heard.
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TMJ Disorder
TMJ disorder can cause jaw pain, headaches, and sleep disruption. We identify the root cause and use non-surgical therapies to restore lasting comfort and function.
Learn morePediatric
Pediatric Airway & Breathing
Pediatric airway and breathing disorders affect growth, sleep, and overall health. We provide gentle, non-surgical care to restore proper breathing and development.
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Tongue Tie
Tongue tie can restrict oral function and affect feeding, speech, and airway growth. We provide gentle, child-focused care to restore mobility and support healthy development.
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Pediatric OSA
Pediatric OSA disrupts healthy breathing during sleep. We provide gentle, non-surgical therapies that restore restful sleep and support healthy growth.
Learn moreReal Stories, Real Relief
At TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of Raleigh-Durham, we understand how life-changing it can be to finally find relief from TMJ pain and sleep-related issues. Our patients’ journeys are the true measure of our work, and their stories reflect the care, compassion, and lasting results we strive to provide every day.
Are you, or someone close to you, experiencing jaw pain, headaches, or difficulties sleeping?
I have never felt more rested…
My jaw pain is gone…
I can breathe again…
Could relief from TMJ discomfort and sleep issues be within your reach?
