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Airway Dysfunction as a Driver of TMJ Pathomechanics
Join Dr. Brad Gilden, DPT, FAAOMPT, FFMT, PRC, CCTT, CSCS, for a live online webinar exploring how airway dysfunction may contribute to bruxism, TMJ disc displacement progression, and treatment resistance, and how physical therapists can incorporate airway screening and interdisciplinary collaboration into TMD management.
Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 7:30 PM EST
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Overview & Benefits
Physical therapists specializing in TMJ disorders are skilled at identifying and treating mechanical and neuromuscular dysfunction—yet one critical variable often remains invisible: airway compromise. This webinar reveals why some TMJ patients plateau despite effective manual therapy, postural correction, and neuromuscular re-education.
Through screening principles and a detailed composite patient case, attendees will learn to identify airway dysfunction as a hidden driver of bruxism, disc displacement progression, and treatment resistance. You’ll explore how structural constraints (high narrow palate, tongue tie, septal deviation) and neuromuscular compensation patterns converge to compromise the upper airway—and why both hardware and software interventions are necessary for durable outcomes. The session closes with a practical referral framework for collaborating with dentists, ENTs, and sleep medicine specialists, equipping you with the language and clinical reasoning to integrate airway assessment into your existing TMJ evaluation.
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Ryan Vaughn, MD
Founder & CEO, Exhale Sinus TMJ, Headache, and Sleep
Why This Topic Matters in Physical Therapy Practice
Many patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) continue to experience persistent symptoms, bruxism, recurrent joint dysfunction, or limited progress despite appropriate physical therapy interventions. One often-overlooked contributor is upper airway dysfunction, which may influence jaw position, muscle activity, sleep quality, and treatment outcomes.
For clinicians who evaluate and manage TMD, recognizing airway-related contributors is increasingly important because these factors can directly affect symptom persistence, treatment response, and long-term outcomes. Yet many rehabilitation professionals receive limited training in identifying potential airway compromise or understanding when referral to other providers may be warranted.
This webinar addresses the gap between traditional musculoskeletal TMD management and the identification of airway-related factors that may be driving or perpetuating a patient's presentation. Using practical screening principles and a detailed composite patient case, participants will explore how structural factors such as a high, narrow palate, tongue-tie, and septal deviation, along with neuromuscular compensations, can contribute to airway dysfunction and complicate TMD management.
By the end of the session, participants will be better prepared to recognize clinical signs of potential airway compromise, identify patients who may benefit from further airway evaluation, incorporate airway considerations into their TMD clinical reasoning, and effectively collaborate with dentists, otolaryngologists, and sleep medicine providers as part of a comprehensive care approach.
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Leslie Hovda, PT, DPT, OCS, SDN2, CCTT
Chair of Speaker Committee
Speaker Bio: Dr. Brad Gilden, DPT, FAAOMPT, FFMT, PRC, CCTT, CSCS
Training: Dr. Gilden is the founding member of EHS Physical Therapy and Wellness in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, co-founder of IPA Manhattan Physical Therapy in Midtown Manhattan, and co-founder of Kinetichain Integrated Manual Physical Therapy in Basalt, Colorado. He is founder of the LIV Institute, a postgraduate education organization dedicated to integrating manual therapy, breathing physiology, postural control, and sleep science.
Current role: Dr. Brad Gilden is a physical therapist with 26 years of clinical experience. He specializes in identifying airway dysfunction as a hidden driver of TMJ pathomechanics—recognizing why patients may plateau despite effective manual therapy, postural correction, and neuromuscular re-education. His clinical methodology combines Functional Manual Physical Therapy (FMT) certification and fellowship through the Institute of Physical Art (IPA) and the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy (AAOMPT), with Postural Restoration Certification (PRC). In 2024, he completed a 6-month intensive Integrative Breathing Training with Dr. Rosalba Courtney, DO, PhD, mastering a three-dimensional framework addressing the biomechanical, biochemical, and biopsychosocial dimensions of breathing dysfunction. His expertise lies in understanding when structural airway constraints and neuromuscular compensation patterns drive bruxism, disc displacement progression, and treatment resistance—and how to sequence interdisciplinary care to achieve durable outcomes.
Key Information
CEU Value: 1 CEUs
Format: On-Demand Webinar
Recording Access: Available immediately after purchase
Account Required: PTBCCT website account required
CCTT Member Price: Complimentary
Affiliates Price: $50
Non-Member Price: $75
Viewing Access: 6 months for non-members*
CEU Completion: Quiz required following the recording
How access works: Sign in or create a free PTBCCT website account, purchase the webinar access plan, and the recording will become available below on this page.
What You Will Learn
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Identify airway dysfunction as a potential driver of TMJ symptoms by recognizing the clinical presentation pattern (bruxism, disc displacement progression, treatment resistance) and screening for structural and functional airway constraints within existing TMJ assessment tools.
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Differentiate between nasal, oral/oropharyngeal, and hypopharyngeal airway restriction using clinical observation and imaging interpretation, and determine which specialist (dentist, ENT, sleep medicine) is the appropriate referral based on restriction location.
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Appropriately sequence interdisciplinary care appropriately by understanding why structural airway expansion may need to precede or inform manual therapy decisions, and by recognizing when myofunctional therapy becomes essential for sustainable outcomes.
FAQs on Airway Dysfunction as a Driver of TMJ Pathomechanics
