1. Home
2. About PERC

The Piper Education Research Center (PERC) is a continuing education center where doctors can learn about the concepts of TMJ problems through facility or online courses. PERC is unlike any other organization in the world. We are dedicated specifically to the promotion of educational standards that will benefit the temporomandibular joint population. We see this as a maturing field, oftentimes besieged by outdated biases and competing ideologies. Like most areas of medicine and dentistry, scientific advancements are often slow to integrate into the practices of the initial treating doctor. Through our educational efforts, we seek to change this trend. We identify students who want to obtain the highest standards of training. By networking trained individuals, it is our desire to escalate the pace of scientific advancement. We share these advancements openly for the continual benefit of all patients affected by temporomandibular joint disorders and facial pain. With Dr. Piper’s emphasis on the quality of diagnosis and management, the establishment of a dedicated educational center to train other doctors became a natural extension of the Piper Clinic. Hence in 2000, Dr. Piper opened the initial PERC facility, and the new campus was upgraded and opened in 2012.

At PERC, our mission is to deliver the best possible clinical preparation to our students. We want to be the best resource for continuing education for temporomandibular, occlusion, and facial pain patients. However, what we teach goes well beyond these areas to an emphasis of "pattern recognition" of injured patients that precedes clinical symptoms. We stress the importance of recognizing children with unknown TMJ disorders whether they are preadolescents with severe tooth wear, adolescents facing complex orthodontic treatment, or teenagers facing orthognathic (bite) surgery. We demonstrate the importance of understanding why bites change or dental restorations fail in adult patients. We show doctors how to deliver appropriate and consistently high quality dentistry with a complete understanding of the temporomandibular joint.

The educational and research philosophy of the Piper Education and Research Center is based upon seeking the truth about the disorders affecting the temporomandibular joint. Our goal is to advance the highest standards of diagnosis and treatment. We maintain the latest parameters of care for all phases of joint, occlusal, and pain management. These standards are shared openly and thoroughly with treating doctors and with the public at large.

The Piper Education and Research Center is dedicated to seeking the truth through lifetime learning. In advancing the fields of temporomandibular disorders, facial pain, and occlusion, we strive to continually improve our treatment recommendations as research and discovery dictate. All of our doctor students are encouraged to maintain an analytical mind, a curious intellect, and a passion for new knowledge. Research and discovery are an integral component of the full educational experience. As we recognize better methods of diagnosis and treatment, direct attention is given to the healing of patients and to the education of other doctors. The ultimate well-being of the patient has always been the most crucial objective of all education and research at the Piper Education and Research Center.

It is our ultimate goal that educational and research truths shall lead the profession by promoting the highest standards of patient care. We seek to be the source of current information for the medical and dental professions and for the population of patients in need of direct and honest treatment for their TMJ problems.

We promise at the Piper Education and Research Center to train doctors to become the best TMJ specialists in the world.