TMJ Friends

How to Choose a TMJ Disorder Doctor

One of the most difficult parts of TMJ treatment or any kind of treatment is finding a good doctor or dentist.

One thing that is really important is having a primary care physician that you like, trust and who isn’t afraid to say “I don’t know, but I’ll find out”, or “I need to send you to a specialist”. The advantage of having a great primary care physician is that the great doctors know other great doctors. He or she can refer you to the top specialists in the area, and you can be confident that you are receiving the best care possible.

Research

This helps with most things, like cardiologists or allergists, but when it comes to interesting topics like TMJ disorder, many doctors might not know who to refer to, or not know any good physicians in the area. If your primary doctor does not know where to send you, do a search on Google for TMJ disorder specialists in the closest big city. Look at their websites, search their names to see if they have any published research (or any complaints). Refer to the latter part of this article for more in depth information on researching a doctor’s credentials.

Make a list of your priorities. Here is a sample list, but note that your list may be different depending on your particular needs.

1. What characteristics are important to you in a doctor?
2. Make a list of the doctors you find.
3. Check credentials.
4. Contact the doctor’s office.
5. Meet with the doctor.

1) Do you want a doctor who helps you make decisions and explains the choices you have in treatments?

Or would you like a doctor who makes the decisions for you without any discussion as to what the different choices were?

Or, would you like something in between?

This is important because if you will be doing a lot of research on your own, you need a doctor who is receptive to this type of participation. Conversely, if you don’t want to do research, you need to find a doctor who is comfortable with making decisions based on his professional experience.

Would you like a doctor who is involved in the latest research? Or part of a large university? Or a doctor who is more conservative and waits until cutting edge technology is more proven?

2) Resources for locating physicians:

American Dental Association: http://www.ada.org
American Academy of Craniofacial Pain: http://www.aacfp.org
American Board of Orofacial Pain: http://www.abop.net
American Society of Temporomandibular Joint Surgeons: http://www.astmjs.org

Credentials

3) The websites above will give you an idea of the doctor’s credentials, but you can also check on licensing and board certification through websites such as:
DocBoard
Amyrdh
Certifacts

Interviews

4) You might want to call the doctor’s offices that you are interested in and ask some general questions about their policies and rules. Some questions you might want to ask:
1. Office hours
2. Which hospitals the doctor has privileges and where procedures are done
3. After hour protocol and who covers for the physician if he or she is not available
4. How long is the wait to schedule an initial and/or routine appointment
5. How long is a typical wait in the office when scheduled for an appointment
6. What is the cancellation policy?
7. Protocol for refills and new prescriptions over the phone
8. Emergency information

Evaluate and Choose

After your phone interview with the staff and first appointment, ask yourself the following:

Did they:

1. Give me a chance to ask questions?
2. Really listen to my questions?
3. Answer in terms I understand?
4. Show respect for me?
5. Ask me questions?
6. Make me feel comfortable?
7. Address the health problems I came with?
8. Ask me my preferences about different kinds of treatments?
9. Spend enough time with me?
10. Take my concerns seriously?

Remember that a doctor’s staff is a reflection on him to some degree (especially if he is the only doctor in the office). If you can’t get to the doctor when you call in because the staff will not work with you, that may or may not be the doctor for you.

Also, you cannot put enough emphasis on your gut instinct of your initial impression of the doctor. If you feel something is not right, or find yourself making excuses for the doctor or his staff, trust in your instincts and move on to the next doctor on your list.

Hopefully this helps make the difficult task of choosing just the right doctor for you a little bit easier!