Conditions We Treat | New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain

Is This You?

TMJ symptoms or Orofacial Pain have been making your life miserable. You have persistent tooth pain that you’ve been told doesn’t exist. You have facial pain that seems to have no explanation. You experience muscle spasms in your jaw, or it locks or hurts when you open your mouth. You have unexplained headaches, neck pain, or ear pain. Perhaps you’ve even had a TMJ diagnosis, but you have not been able to find a doctor that knows how to help you.

At New York TMJ and Orofacial Pain, we have the training and expertise to provide you with an accurate TMJ diagnosis and guidance on what to do for your TMJ pain or other symptoms. Our team is led by board-certified Orofacial Pain specialists who understand your symptoms, know they are real and have many ways to help you get on the road to healing.

If you’re ready to get relief for your TMJ pain or Orofacial Pain symptoms, we invite you to make an appointment at one of our four convenient offices in Manhattan, White Plains, Long Island and Springfield, NJ. Call 212-265-0110 or complete this [popup_anything id=”11450″], and we’ll get back to you right away.

TMJ Symptoms & Conditions We Treat

Lockjaw: The inability to open your mouth wide.
Hypermobile TMJs: Excessive ability to open your mouth, leading at times to a jaw that gets stuck open.
Jaw Joint Noises: A combination of clicks, pops, or even a gravel-like sound.
Jaw Pain, Soreness, and Fatigue: All the result of overworked muscles.
Jaw Muscle Spasms: Often a sudden seizing-up of the jaw muscles.
TM Joint Pain: Pain specifically over the joint in front of your ear.
TM Joint Sprains and Instability: The end result of injured ligaments in the joint.
TMJ Arthritis: Like all joints, arthritis can have many forms and origins.
Bite Changes: Often the result of TM joint or muscle injuries.
TMJ Disc Problems: The result of your shock-absorbing disc moving out of place.
Tooth Clenching & Grinding: Clenching or grinding your teeth at night, during the day, or both (bruxism).
TMJ During Pregnancy.

Orofacial Pain Conditions We Treat

Facial Pain of Nerve Origin: This type of pain in a small area of your face. Facial pain of nerve origin is considered one of the most debilitating forms of pain a person can experience. It can be due to trauma, medical diseases, or idiopathic (of unknown origin).
Persistent Toothache: Tooth pain that has no explanation and does not respond to traditional care – often after a root canal or other dental work.
Trigeminal Neuralgia: Severe episodes of pain, most often in the middle or lower part of your face on one side and often focusing in teeth. The pain can be miserable or absent all within a minute, hour, or day and can come on spontaneously or be triggered by speaking, eating, or touching the face.
Tension Headaches: Categorized as a primary headache which is defined as overactivity of or problems with pain-sensitive structures of the head. A tension-type headache (TTH) is generally mild to moderate and often described as feeling like a tight band around the head. A tension-type headache is the most common type of headache, yet its causes aren’t well understood.
Migraines: A primary headache with hypersensitivity within the trigeminal system. A migraine is a headache that can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head. It’s often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound.

Other Symptoms We Treat In The Orofacial Region

Commonly we see patients who are referred from medical practices. They have been told they have a TMJ problem and what they should do for TMJ is see a specialist. These patients have a variety of symptoms, including:

Ear Problems
Ear Fullness, Stuffiness, or Clogging
Compromised hearing
Ringing in the ears or Tinnitus
Humming or buzzing in the ears
A feeling of being “off-balance”
Neck pain, particularly on getting up in the morning
Headaches
Sleep Apnea & Snoring Problems

We often see patients who do not display typical TMJ problems and have been referred to us by other doctors. They have symptoms such as the inability to open their mouth, joint noises, or jaw pain. But many do have overworked jaw and neck muscles, which can be directly responsible for a number of the above symptoms. In discussing what to do about their TMJ symptoms, their doctor referred them to us.

As a result, the specialists at New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain have developed specific questioning and examination protocols to determine whether these symptoms are directly or indirectly related to the TMJ, jaw, and neck muscles.

Our practice is dedicated to helping people like you figure out what to do about your TMJ. We are uniquely qualified to give you an accurate TMJ diagnosis and guide you to find relief for your TMJ pain or Orofacial Pain symptoms. Together, we’ll figure out how to address your problems so your daily suffering is eliminated or reduced in a meaningful way.

(More on what to do for TMJ can be found here on our Treatments page, where you can learn more about how to get relief for TMJ pain and other jaw-related problems.)

* TMJs refers to your temporomandibular joints (your jaw joints)

You Have Been Diagnosed With TMJ – How Common Is It?

If you’ve been given a TMJ diagnosis, you’re not alone. Approximately 8-18% of the population in the United States suffers from a TMJ disorder, and women are more likely to develop it than men. Some people have been misdiagnosed or told it’s all in their head, yet they are still desperate to get relief from their TMJ pain.

Because very few healthcare providers have the training to identify jaw problems and make a TMJ diagnosis, many patients have been left to figure out what to do for their TMJ problems on their own.

Thankfully, due to the efforts of a small group of professionals who have dedicated their lives to finding ways to relieve TMJ pain, in 2020, The American Dental Association finally recognized Orofacial Pain as a specialty.

What To Do For TMJ

In the meantime, if you have been given a TMJ diagnosis or believe you have a TMJ disorder because of symptoms such as jaw pain, limited jaw opening (lockjaw), muscle spasms in your jaw, jaw joints that click or lock, unexplained ear or neck pain, or if you suffer from any of the Orofacial Pain symptoms listed above, you’re in the right place!

At NY TMJ & Orofacial Pain, our team is led by board-certified Orofacial Pain specialists who are familiar with your symptoms and know what to do for TMJ to help you get better. Together, we will figure out what to do for your TMJ, find ways of relieving your TMJ pain, and get you on the road to healing.

If you’re suffering and need guidance on what to do to relieve your TMJ pain or Orofacial Pain problems, we invite you to make an appointment at one of our convenient offices in the New York City metro area. If we give you a TMJ diagnosis, we’ll help you get on the road to healing. Call us at 212-265-0110 to make an appointment at an office near you, or [popup_anything id=”5295″], and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

If you don’t live in the New York City metro area and need guidance on what to do for your TMJ problems and find relief from TMJ pain, click here access the provider directory of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain Specialists. Look for a doctor with the designation, Diplomate.