Dr. David May may be your typical family dentist in Hemet, but there's more to this mild-mannered practitioner of dental health. A lot more.

Practicing in his hometown, just down the street from where he went to junior high, May could have easily allowed himself to fall into a routine of cleanings, fillings and fixing broken crowns, but it wasn't enough.

"This all came up with the desire to provide the very best and finally realizing after dental school that I didn't know what the very best was really," May said. "I thought when I graduated from dental school that I knew everything I could possibly know, and every year I find out there's even less that I know."

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David May and MMA's Tito Ortiz

May saw an opportunity to expand his business from a traditional office, where he was known for his "gentle dentistry," to one built around innovative sports-medicine solutions. He's certified to prescribe the Pure Power Mouthguard, an increasingly popular dental device used by an array of professional athletes, including NBA star Shaquille O'Neal and NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens.

"We found that if we can find that perfect spot, relax the muscles and let the jaw be in its physiological rest position, that once we found that spot we could lock you in and have you bite in that spot, it allowed your brain to unlock any extra balance, flexibility and strength that you have," May said.

And to find that spot is not exactly simple. Just to get the jaw to relax takes as long as an hour, but the results can be striking. In turn, May's business has flourished and his sights have expanded to areas he probably never imagined -- like Las Vegas for major ultimate and mixed-martial-arts fights.

In years past, the plan was for dentists to simply work on as many patients as possible.

"We are trying to be more of a health care provider," said May, who grew up in the Hemet area and returned there after dental school at the University of Nebraska. "Honestly back in the '60s and '70s, dentists were called tooth plumbers. Basically there was so much decay going on in kids and adults, doctors were running from room to room, getting in as many patients as possible. That was a business model."

After years of dental education, the American public has improved in its efforts against tooth decay, and that has allowed dentists to expand their skills beyond "tooth plumbing."

"If you want to, you can take some time with patients and find out some of these other things and try to provide the very best that they want," May said.

And that, for him, was treating temporomandibular joint disorders, or TMJ, which led him to become a believer and advocate of a dental device that effected a shift in his business.

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Photo By Louis Amestoy

UFC fighter Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira poses with dentist David May of Hemet. May has expanded his services to include sports-medicine-related solutions.

In less than three years, the transformation was complete: May now has a practice in Hemet and one in Redondo Beach, where he caters to sports stars and celebrities. It would seem an unlikely journey, but May's work ethic and curiosity are the big reasons for this change.

"Well, it's an interesting business model because it went right after the professional athlete," May said. His specialty has been with mixed-martial-arts fighters and actor Mario Lopez. Golfers are also beginning to use the mouthguard, including PGA player Scott McCarron.

The science behind the mouthguard is simple -- by aligning the bite, an athlete has more power and balance. However, the idea was born out of a treatment for TMJ disorders, a common jaw problem that can cause agonizing headaches.

May's transition from gentle to cosmetic dentistry ultimately led him to Pure Power Mouthguard, which was developed by Dr. Anil Makkar, a Canadian dentist who had conducted research into TMJ problems. Through his work on the mouthguard, Makkar began to discover some unexpected side effects -- better balance, strength and flexibility.

May has begun to study the latest in cosmetic dentistry, and he was quick to become certified in analyzing and prescribing the mouthguard. The process requires the patient to undergo a 40-minute procedure where the jaw muscles are relaxed through mild electrical stimulation. From there, May can determine the most accurate measurements for the mouthguard.

Surprisingly, May's practice has attracted a newfound client-base -- mixed-martial-arts fighters. He's already outfitted stars Tito Ortiz, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Junior Santos. That led May to help start another company called Fight Dental, which specializes in treating boxers and ultimate fighters.

But more importantly to May, the mouthguard's benefit goes beyond pro sports.

"We recently found out that we can treat sleep apnea," said May, adding that dental science is a broad field of study in medicine.

"We're finding the oral systemic connection between periodontal disease and diabetes, heart disease and pregnancy problems."