Dr. Kathryn Sudikoff

Because the smile, the jaw muscles, and the joint don’t work in isolation — they work together, and problems in one often show up in another. My postgraduate training through the Las Vegas Institute taught me to look at how those parts function as a system, rather than treating a tooth in a vacuum. It’s why I can sit with a patient and consider their smile, their jaw comfort, and their facial goals in one conversation.

Our connected approach →

I start with what someone actually wants and how much change is involved. EMFACE tones muscle and stimulates skin for early-to-moderate change, without needles or downtime — so it suits people after a subtle, natural refresh. If someone has significant sagging, I’ll tell them honestly that surgery may serve them better. And if their real concern is jaw tension, that’s a different conversation entirely.

EMFACE candidacy guide →

It’s real, and the wording matters. As of 2025, EMFACE is FDA-cleared — not "approved," which is a different regulatory pathway — for the treatment of TMJ dysfunction and associated pain, muscle re-education, relief of symptoms associated with muscle spasm, increased local blood flow, and the maintenance or improvement of jaw range of motion. I stay strictly inside those cleared uses when I talk about it.

EMFACE for TMJ →

Because a temporomandibular disorder is fundamentally a problem of the jaw joint and the muscles that move it — the exact anatomy dentists assess every day through the bite and the chewing muscles. I’m careful here: I don’t call myself a "specialist," because that’s a regulated term, and I don’t claim a bad bite causes TMD, because the research doesn’t support that. What I offer is training in how the jaw and muscles work, applied to finding the cause of your symptoms.

TMJ treatment →

The goal is for you to look like a rested version of yourself, not like you’ve had work. With EMFACE, that’s built into how it works — it tones your own muscle and stimulates your own collagen rather than freezing movement or adding volume, so the change is gradual and subtle. With cosmetic dentistry, it’s about proportion and natural design. Restraint is usually what makes a result look right.

EMFACE & aging gracefully →

I’m honest that some goals need a different tool. EMFACE builds gradually over about three months and is not a facelift; injectables work quickly but do a specific job; surgery achieves the biggest structural change but involves recovery. If someone wants an instant, dramatic transformation, a non-invasive toning treatment will disappoint them — and I’d rather say so than oversell.

EMFACE vs a facelift →

I like to cite the actual studies rather than the marketing. Peer-reviewed research measured roughly a 35% improvement in wrinkle scores and about a 31% improvement in facial-muscle tone at three months — real, measured results. But those studies are small and manufacturer-linked, and they followed people only to three months. That’s promising evidence, and I present it as exactly that: promising, not proven at the scale of large independent trials.

Does EMFACE really work? →

Genuine advanced training, technology that supports precise work, and a consistent track record with real patients. I’d also add: someone who will tell you when a treatment isn’t right for you. Credentials matter, but so does honesty. If a plan sounds like more procedures than your goal actually requires, ask why.

Cosmetic dentistry →

Usually not — they do different jobs. Botox relaxes a specific muscle to soften expression lines; filler restores volume; EMFACE tones muscle and stimulates skin. Because the mechanisms differ, I often think of them as complementary rather than competing. Some patients find that better overall tone changes how much injectable they want, but that’s individual, and I plan the timing so treatments work together.

EMFACE with Botox & filler →

That care usually starts conservative and reversible, and that the goal is to find the cause rather than just chase the symptom. Jaw pain, headaches, clenching, and a sore jaw can be connected, and a careful evaluation of the joint and muscles is worth far more than a quick label. EMFACE for TMJ is one FDA-cleared option within that bigger picture — not the whole answer.

Who treats TMJ? →

Often. A good consultation sometimes ends with "let’s not do this," or "here’s a better option for what you actually want." I’d rather have someone spend on the right treatment than the most treatment. That honesty is the whole point of an evaluation — and it’s how I’d want to be treated myself.

Preparing for a consultation →

A med spa can run the device. What I add is the ability to evaluate your bite, your jaw joint, and your facial muscles — and to consider both the cosmetic and the FDA-cleared TMJ use in a single visit. When appearance and jaw comfort overlap, that connected view means you’re not bounced between a spa and a separate jaw provider.

Why iDental Dilworth →