Chicago TMJ Specialist

What is a TMJ specialist?

It is important to note there is no recognized specialty in TMJ, so it is not accurate to call anyone a TMJ specialist. But treating TMJ disorder effectively requires substantial post-graduate training beyond dental school, and Dr. Lopez has dedicated herself to obtaining this training.

Dr. Lopez has done post-graduate study about TMJ at the prestigious Las Vegas Academy of Advanced Dental Studies (LVI) under the tutelage of Norm Thomas. Practicing dentists from all over the globe come to LVI because of their state of the art training and technology. She is also a member of the American Academy of Cranio-Facial Pain. The mission of the AACP is to be purposefully "committed to the relief of craniofacial pain and dysfunction, and the advancement of research and study in this field." In addition she has studied under Jay Gerber, the director of The Center for Occlusal Studies, and Brock Rondeau, a fellow and diplomate of the American Academy of Cranio-Facial Pain. Dr. Lopez cares deeply about her patients and has been treating TMJ since 2004.

What is TMJ Disorder?

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is very flexible and can slide back and forth as well as move in a hinge motion. It is one of our most flexible joints, however when it isn't working correctly can cause significant problems. There are many symptoms of TMJ. Some of the most common are:

• Excessive grinding of the teeth or clenching
• Limited range in opening the mouth
• A deviation of the jaw to one side when opened
• Pain in the chewing muscles
• Headaches in the temporal area (sometimes misdiagnosed as migraines)
• Ear aches
• Noises in the joint

For more information about, including the treatment of this disorder, please visit our TMJ treatment page.

Dr. Duane Delaune could be considered by some to be a New Orleans TMJ specialist, though, as we said, there is really no such legally distinct speciality, so it would be incorrect to use that term.