Meet the Doctors
Curious minds. Thoughtful care.
Two dentists in Alpine, Utah who kept asking why the same findings kept turning up — and built a practice around answering that question properly.
Dr. Brittany Johansen
The question behind the finding.
Dr. Brittany has completed hundreds of hours of postgraduate continuing education focused on craniofacial growth and development, sleep-disordered breathing, functional orthodontics, myofunctional therapy, TMJ and related whole-person care. That training is what shifted her attention from repairing what teeth show to understanding what produced it.
Her approach is educational rather than directive. She would rather a family understand what is happening with growth, breathing and function — including the uncertainty — than accept a plan on trust. Care is developed collaboratively, with parents, with patients, and with the other clinicians already involved.
Much of her day is spent connecting things that are usually treated separately: a narrow arch and restless nights, headaches and clenching, a child who cannot keep their lips together and a school year that feels harder than it should.
Clinical interests
- Craniofacial growth and development in children
- Sleep-disordered breathing in children and adults
- Functional orthodontics
- Myofunctional therapy
- TMJ and jaw pain
- Whole-person, collaborative care
Dr. Ryan Hart
Steady, conservative, unhurried.
Dr. Ryan’s focus is TMJ and adult sleep and airway care. Jaw pain, clicking, limited opening, headaches and facial tension make up much of his week, alongside adults whose nights are not doing what nights are supposed to do.
His approach is deliberately conservative: understand the pattern first, begin with reversible steps where they are reasonable, and reassess rather than escalate by default. Where a medical diagnosis is required — obstructive sleep apnea in particular — that stays with a physician, and he works alongside them.
What we share
Four things we agree on.
01
Explain first
A recommendation you do not understand is not really a recommendation. We would rather spend the appointment explaining what we see.
02
Conservative by default
Start with the least intervention that is reasonable, sequence care over time, and reassess honestly.
03
Stay inside our scope
We screen and educate, and we treat what dentistry can appropriately treat. Medical diagnosis belongs with physicians.
04
Say when the answer is no
Sometimes the right recommendation is that this treatment is not for you, or not yet.
Continuing education
Airway-focused dentistry draws on several disciplines and the evidence continues to develop. Both doctors pursue ongoing postgraduate education in this area, and we try to describe what is well established, what is reasonable, and what is still uncertain — rather than blurring the three.
Getting started
How people usually begin.
Start with a conversation
Most people begin with a consultation rather than a procedure. We talk through what you have noticed and what an evaluation would involve.
Bring what you already have
Previous records, a sleep study, orthodontic history or notes from another clinician all help. If you do not have any, that is fine too.
Not sure who to see?
You do not need to choose a doctor when you book. We will match your questions to the right person in the practice.
Timing
Availability varies through the year. Our team will walk you through current options when you get in touch.
Come and meet us.
Bring the questions you have been carrying around. We will tell you plainly what we see and what we would do next.