For TMJ disorder, is it better to see a dentist or Ear, Nose, & Throat doctor (otolaryngologist)?

I'm a dentist.

An ENT physician, I'm sure, is familiar with the anatomy of the temporomandibular joint. It is very unlikely that they have any appreciable amount of training in its diseases.

Your dentist is the first place to start. Granted, dentists as well have varying degrees of familiarity with TMJ problems, and in the vast majority of cases the solution is one of the following (or a combination of them): occlusal guard, heat, ice, NSAIDS, muscle relaxants, sleep aids, antidepressants, stress reduction, or simply time (most TMJ problems disappear on their own).

For more serious TMJ problems such as those that involve actual damage to the joint that may require surgical intervention, we refer patients to oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

Keep in mind, though, that with the exception of a procedure called arthroscentesis, invasive TMJ procedures are on the decline as surgeons have determined that their outcomes aren't particularly predictable. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, sometimes they make things worse.

Actually the best would be to see an oral/maxillofacial (oral surgeon) doctor. That is who treats mine.

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