Dr. Mark A. Piper is a graduate of Harvard College, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Vanderbilt Medical School. He completed residency training in General Surgery and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Vanderbilt University. Prior to opening his practice in St. Petersburg, Florida, he was an emergency room physician in rural Tennessee. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and a member of numerous professional medical and dental organizations. Major awards include the Harvard Gold Medal for graduating top in his dental school class, a first place Hatton Award from the International Association of Dental Research for his cleft palate and wound healing investigations, and induction into Omicron Kappa Upsilon, Harvard Chapter.

Dr. Piper has lectured to more than 400 dental and medical groups from throughout the world. He is credited with the development of Doppler auscultation and differential arthrography for the diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders; and since 1987, he has been a major contributor to the interpretation of CT and MR scans of the TMJ. Dr. Piper was one of the original researchers to report the occlusal and facial abnormalities related to childhood growth injuries. He has developed the Piper Classification of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders, which is widely used in clinical practice. Dr Piper's surgical contributions include the development of microsurgical joint reconstruction, the utilization of stealth-assisted computer surgery for the release of joint ankylosis, the surgical management of avascular necrosis of the mandibular condyle, joint reconstruction in fractured mandibular condyles, and utilization of autologous fat grafts in the treatment of various temporomandibular disorders. Dr. Piper's current research interests link facial deformities and abnormalities of the bite to unstable temporomandibular joints. This research is fundamentally changing the diagnosis and treatment of bite problems.

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