What Is A TMJ Specialist?

TMJ specialists are dental professionals who diagnose, manage, and treat temporomandibular joint dysfunction and disorders, commonly known as TMJ and TMD. They have typically pursued extensive additional training and focused their practices to address the needs of patients struggling with jaw disorders while at the same time being skilled in identifying and treating other challenging orofacial pain problems, inclusive of persistent toothaches, nerve pain disorders, and headaches.

Our TMJ Specialists

At New York TMJ and Orofacial Pain, our team of TMJ specialists are leaders in the field due to their years of experience advising and treating patients, their commitment to teaching and their scholarly and patient-centered publications. Our TMJ specialists are focused on helping you understand your problem and feel better.

As TMJ/TMD problems are essentially orthopedic problems in your jaw, treatment for TMJ/TMD problems always starts with providing education and then a combination of options, including medications, home care strategies and exercises, therapeutic joint, tendon and muscle injections (including BOTOX®), intra-oral appliances, relaxation strategies, and at times a referral for physical therapy and/or chiropractic care. (To see a complete list, click here)

We Specialize In TMJ Care

If you are suffering from jaw pain, headaches in your temples, the inability to open your mouth (often called lockjaw), a bite change, or jaw clicking and popping, you likely have a TMJ disorder. These are common and familiar problems in our office, so you are in the right place!

As TMJ specialists, we know what to do to help with these problems. Our knowledge, experience, and compassion will provide the reassurance and solutions you are looking for.

We have three convenient offices: Manhattan, Westchester, and Long Island. To make an appointment, call us at (888) 560-6674 or form to contact us, and we’ll get back to you right away.

Today’s TMJ Specialists

In 2020, the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards designated Orofacial Pain as a board-certified specialty after decades of effort. Today, Orofacial Pain is defined as the specialty of dentistry that encompasses the diagnosis, management, and treatment of pain disorders of the jaw, mouth, face, head, and neck.

TMJ/TMD problems, therefore, fall under the broader category of Orofacial Pain, along with facial nerve pain problems, persistent toothaches, and headaches that are commonly seen in our office. Presently, only members of the American Board of Orofacial Pain can be designated as Orofacial Pain specialists. Dr. Tanenbaum and Dr. Syrop, who lead our practice, are among only a few hundred Orofacial Pain specialists in the United States.

Through our leadership, knowledge, and experience, we will get to the bottom of your problem, and you will not be forced to go from doctor to doctor.

We are committed not only to patient care but to spreading the word about this new specialty to young dentists in the hopes that they may consider Orofacial Pain as a career choice. We want people everywhere to be able to find a conveniently located Orofacial Specialist in their area.

Assessing Your TMJ Problem

Most TMJ problems are recognizable based on a patient’s history and symptoms and the findings of an examination. There are times, however, when all the pieces don’t fit, and that is when you need a doctor skilled in making a differential diagnosis. That is what we do at New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain.

First, we determine if you truly have a TMJ problem and not another medical condition such as a migraine, sinus infection, or salivary gland problem that may be presenting as one. We look under the surface and do not commit to a diagnosis and treatment until we have listened to you carefully, dug into your medical and dental history, taken the necessary x-rays or CT scans, and performed an examination.

While at times there is a need for additional imaging such as MRIs and blood panels, it is common that on the first visit that we are able to provide a diagnosis and discuss a plan of action.

For most of our patient encounters, “The diagnosis is in the patient’s history if we chose to listen.” This is what we do best!

TMJ Specialists Who’ve Earned The Trust Of Other Doctors

As a result of our ongoing philosophy of assessment and care, we have earned the trust of healthcare practitioners in the New York City metropolitan region, and they are a significant part of our referral network. They have put their faith in our practices because they know we invest the time to understand not only a patient’s primary problem but also the person attached to it.

We take this trust seriously.

If you have a TMJ problem, you can rest assured that we will provide the education and treatment to allow healing to occur in your jaw joints and muscles.

At New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain, we help you understand your TMJ problem and that it will take time for your symptoms to subside. After all, your TMJ problem likely didn’t happen overnight. Our supportive measures are designed to allow healing to occur while at the same time focusing on identifying and reducing the risk factors that started the injury process in the first place.

To make an appointment for a consultation with our TMJ specialists, call (888) 560-6674 or complete this quick form , and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

(If you live outside the NYC metropolitan area, you can find a TMJ specialist near you by visiting the website of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. Look for the designation, Diplomate.)