Orofacial Therapeutics Mission

Orofacial Therapeutics Inc is dedicated to supporting the clinicians who treat orofacial pain and those who suffer from facial, head, neck, and jaw pain by providing educational resources and tools to aid in diagnosis and recovery and by maintaining a referral network for patients seeking clinicians who specialize in treatment, prevention, and management of chronic TMD and headache pain.

Dr. Brad Eli, DMD, MS, Orofacial Pain Specialist for over 25 years, along with Ann McCulloch, Yale MBA, founded Orofacial Therapeutics in 2016 in San Diego. Our first products (QuickSplint®) and protocols (Jaw and Muscle Sprain, Strain Protocol, S.A.F.E. and the Parafunction Risk Rating Protocol) were designed for dentists and their patients.

One of the world’s foremost leaders in the field of Orofacial Pain, Dr. James Fricton, DDS, MS joined the team in 2017. Together we expanded our reach to assisting patients and healthcare providers with a universal, consistent, conservative, and rapid response to craniofacial pain (Speed2Treat®), resulting in potential improvement to prevent TMD disorders, headaches, bruxism, chronic pain and opioid use. 

Dr. James Elliott, PT, PhD, FAPT joined the company in 2019, bringing his extensive knowledge and physical therapy experience to bear on our Speed2Treat® products. Dr. Elliott expands our vision to provide assessment and diagnostic tools to identify and streamline access to care for patients likely to progress to chronic or intractable pain. 

Focus on Patient-Centered Care

Here are just a few of the activities that make our team special, and reflect on our shared mission and purpose:

Dr. Friction’s pioneering work on establishing reliable and valid methods for establishing a diagnosis and measuring severity of TMD laid the foundation for patient-centered clinical research in the field. His first NIH/NIDCR funded research project was a longitudinal study of risk factors for chronic TMD pain. This study was one of the first to determine that behavioral and psychosocial factors were significant etiologic factors to chronic pain reinforcing the importance of the team approach to address contributing factors. He has authored more than 200 publications, five books, and spearheaded millions of dollars for research for relieving and preventing chronic TMD and orofacial pain conditions for the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIH/NIDCR). 

In 2002, Dr. Eli created the Continuing Education Alliance, a 501(c)3 dedicated to educating dental and medical providers about orofacial pain and the importance of differential diagnosis in developing treatment plans for chronic pain conditions.  Throughout 30-year career as an orofacial pain specialist, Dr. Eli has been deeply concerned about limited access to care for patients with complex conditions, given the limited number of board-certified specialists in the US.  Our company’s focus is largely driven by Dr. Eli’s commitment to early intervention for acute facial pain and prompt identification of patients that need expert evaluation and carefully development treatment plans.

Dr. Fricton has taught many courses on chronic pain with his most recent On-line Course on Preventing Chronic Pain: A Human Systems Approach at Coursera: Chronic Pain. Friction’s commitment to preventing chronic pain is further evident in his development of an online “pain prevention clinic” called the Personalized Activated Care & Training Program (www.pactforpain.com).  PACT is designed to provide transformative care, blending evidence-based treatment with extensive training of patients in how to manage their own pain. The goals and objectives of the PACT program align with Orofacial Therapeutics’ products and initiatives. Dr. Fricton joined our team in 2017 when we expanded our reach to assist patients and healthcare providers with the Speed2Treat® Home Healing Kit – a universal, consistent, conservative, and rapid response to craniofacial pain, and a potential improvement to prevent chronic pain and opioid use. 

Understanding Challenges Facing Orofacial Pain Patients

Ms. McCulloch oversees the growing sales of QuickSplint® and Speed2Treat, as well as the company’s expanding portfolio of resources and tools for jaw and headache pain diagnosis and treatment. Her chronic pain issues and subsequent relief strategies motivated her to investigate the needs and challenges of patients suffering from orofacial pain.

Each career relocation caused her to search for new treatment providers to address musculoskeletal conditions. Her search for relief resulted in a myriad of diagnoses and treatment modalities, including an ineffective dental treatment to reposition her jaw.

When Ms. McCulloch met Dr. Eli, a short-term project evolved into a new career that now focuses on patient and provider education about orofacial pain, and marketing products to benefit patients.