TMJ Clinic: Summer John DDS

If you are considering seeing Dr. Summer for a sleep apnea mouthpiece, DON’T. He is an unprofessional con artist and should not be in the business of treating sleep apnea. Basically, my long ordeal with this practice can be summed up by the following. Dr. Summer lied to me about the efficacy of his mouthpiece, he tricked me into getting the mouthpiece from him by lying to me about my insurance coverage, and his mouthpiece actually made my sleep apnea worse and caused me jaw and neck pain! Dr. Summer has constructed a persona that gives the impression that he is some kind of rebel or pioneer in his field; I can assure you, he is not only clueless, but reckless, as well as the most haphazard and unprofessional provider I have ever encountered. Please learn from my mistakes and protest by not supporting this charlatan. I have included a photo that outlines my ordeal in more detail. Thanks for reading and best of luck in your sleep apnea treatment journey. I chose to post this anonymously to protect my privacy.

I had extremely painful TMJ issues for years and seen multiple other specialists for this issue with little to no improvement. Dr. Summer has helped me far more than anyone else for my jaw pain. His approach is completely different, and the appliance is completely different from others I have had. He made my appliance a few years ago, and it still functions perfectly! A while back I had some dental work that affected the fit, and he adjusted it so I didn’t have to pay for a whole new one! Dr. Summer is a unique character, but for my part I have had only positive interactions with him.

I have had nothing but a positive experience with Dr Summer. He listens and answers my questions, and goes above what is needed to help with my sleep apnea issues. If I ever have problems with the device he custom made, he promptly calls back and I can usually get in the same day for repairs. If you have apnea issues and do not want to be on a CPap, these dental appliances are the way to go and really a last step towards surgery. But they are not all created equal. He uses high quality materials, utilizing state of the art fabrication. It’s not just a piece of molded plastic…it’s a fully adjustable customized orthodontic device. I have seen other devices and mouth guards. This by far is the best made unit and actually helps. As with any anonymous or Google reviews, I encourage everyone to get their own firsthand experience.

When I went to John Summer for a bite plate, he knew that I was in the middle of a divorce and was vulnerable. At one point, he sent me an email that said, "Sure I like you and I look forward to getting to know you more, but I know better than to have any expectations that you might be ready for another lover for years or even forever, and even then that you would consider one old enough to be your father." (I have receipts.) I was so uncomfortable that I had to bring a man with me to my follow up appointment because I wasn't comfortable being in the exam room alone with him. He is wildly unprofessional and not safe for female patients (which should make all other patients who care about women not want to patronize his practice).

I just tried to call and schedule an appt after being referred by my dentist today. Spoke to John and he was impatient the entire call, asked me if I had looked at the website to check my posture and informed "30% of the population have a dislocated jaw on one side." Well, maybe the number would be smaller if you actually evaluated them instead. Update: John called personally and acknowledged/explained being short previously, then reassured me from where I come from. And got an appointment scheduled immediately. Appreciate that.

Dr. Summer is a unique provider and I’d like to include my recent personal experience. He is a very nice, heart-forward and patient-focused doctor. He is also a little kooky, not worried about appearances, and somewhat unorthodox in his approach. He is obviously deeply invested in helping as many people as possible improve their sleep quality. Dr. Summer was very flexible and willing to meet with me after 5PM due to difficulty getting downtown after work. After asking questions about my symptoms and personal life he discerned, like my sleep study practitioner, that a sleep mouthguard could help my sleep and quality of life. At that point he walked me through his background and journey not finding answers from the medical community to solve his own sleep apnea and the patents he created that are now used in his devices. He was very upfront with me about the device not working for everyone, either due to not getting comfortable sleeping with something in their mouth or not resolving/improving their issues. He also mentioned insurance will not always pay for his devices, asked me which insurance I have, and after saying they should cover it he still said I should consider confirming with them because it’s possible it could be out of pocket. I decided to move forward with a mouth guard that I’ve only had for a brief period, but I wanted this review to focus on my experience with Dr. Summer and not my personal sleep. I don’t think Dr Summer’s approach is for everyone, and I could imagine he’s improved his explanation (and risks) of the process after feedback in Google reviews or directly. I also believe some individuals chose to assume everything would work in their favor despite Dr Summer mentioning the lack of guarantees at multiple stages. I highly recommend anyone with sleep issues, especially those not interested in a CPAP machine, to visit Dr. Summer and decide for yourself if he passes muster for you. I’m glad I took the chance.

I should have read reviews. I thought I had TMJ and went to him. He immediately said I didn’t but talked about a palate expander as likely providing some relief. It was $1000 out of pocket. I spoke with both my dentist and orthodontist after trying to use it, and they both indicated that it was useless for somebody whose palate is already formed and could actually cause more damage. Fast forward, I now have TMD and hearing loss and it is likely the result of this appliance which caused stress and moved my jaw around. I wouldn’t recommend going here.

Dr Summer is an expert in his field. I would know I have been a patient and a referring dentist to him over several decades. He has a conservative approach and has treated many of my patients with a high degree of success in a field that is prone to present themselves with complex physical as well as psychological challenges.

I noticed that the office responded saying I'm not a patient at this clinic. I'm not anymore. I have proof of my treatment and will upload documents that show treatment if necessary. When a dental/specialist ruins another person's teeth and jaw, he or she (or they) should return to review. This caused the need for corrective dental work, but I can close my teeth together. I feel normal after years of pain. I'll be uploading pics of what it looked like prior and afterwards. This is one of the worst "dentists" and "TMJ specialists" in the country, not just Portland, I wish I had looked at state actions. Do yourself a favor and do that. He has had several infractions. He saw a patient and used his "medieval device" on her, then at the end, she was left a malocclusion. That isn't well explained to the patient, so I have that too. An OHSU doctor told me, "He messed your bite up permanently." It leaves your teeth unable to close properly, like an underbite, putting all pressure on your back teeth. That's not good, It causes fracturing and did in my case. In this woman's case, and you can see it, he permanently changed her jaw (like mine), but she was lucky enough to get a cavity his work,maybe more than one. After he recovers the disc, if it's out, it requires onlays--yes he builds up your teeth with partial onlays that aren't fitted well. She had to have that fixed. And when those built-up onlays are put on, they prep the tooth, removing material from the margins every time. So you lose tooth material. In my case, it caused fractures. Plus, I couldn't floss my teeth, so he took a circular saw (small one) with no safety on it and spaced between my teeth. Oh yeah, no mask or gloves during that. Then, floss got caught every time after this. Plus, it left huge gaps between my teeth. Due to him, I had to see another dentist, who fixed one error, but I lost more tooth than I wanted to or would have. John Summer is not a dentist. Don't let him do anything on you, and if you've made the mistake, ask another doctor to do the finishing work. It will likely take a doctor to reset your jaw and tooth position. Dr. John Griffith in Vancouver, WA, can do that. Not saying he is a specialist, but I wish I had gone to him for this. He would have kept my teeth in good shape. Now my bite is horrible, and biting on gold onlays isn't the same as teeth. John Summer promised he'd do all my follow up if I fought Medicare for him. He didn't honor that, and who wants it? Today, I'd tell him, you have to accept assignment. That's what Medicare does. I won at the highest level, and he was paid by me and Medicare. I asked him to supply a copy of his check payment to me in 2010. He couldn't, and he altered the ledgers. Oh I have proof of what I'm saying also. I don't make claims I can't back. What a totally unethical doctor. Remember, an inventor is not someone you want playing around with your teeth. You get one permanent set. I'd have preferred surgery to this. I mean that! Plus, he really owes me money. It's never too late to warn others. If one patient is spared of this trauma, it might well be worth speaking out.