A specialty group built for the patients other providers couldn't help.
The Orofacial Pain Specialty Group was founded by Dr. Benjamin Kruman — a board-certified specialist with UCLA training who serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF School of Dentistry — to bring rigorous, unhurried care for TMJ, headache, facial pain, bruxism, and sleep-related conditions to San Francisco.
Hi — I'm Dr. Ben Kruman. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've already seen multiple providers: a dentist who fitted you for a night guard, a neurologist who adjusted your medications, maybe a specialist who said nothing more could be done. I want you to know that isn't the end of the story. These conditions are complex, and not all of them are curable — but nearly all of them are manageable. With the right specialist and the right plan, chronic pain can take up far less space in your daily life, and you can get back to doing what you love.
I completed my residency at UCLA's Orofacial Pain & Dental Sleep Medicine program — one of the most selective programs of its kind in the country — where I served as Chief Resident. That training grounded me in the full spectrum of orofacial pain, from TMJ disorders and chronic headaches to orofacial nerve pain and sleep-disordered breathing. Today I serve as an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF School of Dentistry, teaching the next generation of specialists.
I chose this specialty because I kept seeing a gap: patients in real pain, passed between providers who each looked at only one piece of the puzzle. Orofacial pain sits at the intersection of dentistry and medicine, and it requires someone trained to look at all of it at once. My approach is straightforward — take the time to understand your complete story, then together figure out what's actually driving it and build a plan around that.
Outside the office I'm usually running, playing tennis, or reading. I live in the Bay Area with my wife and our dog, Waffles.
Dr. Kruman's Training
- Undergraduate
- B.A., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Dental Education
- D.D.S., University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry
- Post-Graduate
- Residency in Orofacial Pain & Dental Sleep Medicine, UCLA — Chief Resident
- Faculty
- Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Dentistry
- Board Certification
- Diplomate, American Board of Orofacial Pain (DABOP)
- Licensure
- Licensed Dentist, State of California
Member of leading professional organizations
Why Board Certification Matters
Board certification through the American Board of Orofacial Pain (DABOP) means completing a dedicated postgraduate residency focused specifically on diagnosing and treating conditions of the jaw, face, head, and sleep-related breathing — the exact overlap this practice treats. That level of focused training is what allows for real diagnostic depth in cases that don't fit neatly into one specialty.
A different kind of specialty visit.
One of only a handful of DABOP specialists in San Francisco
Fewer than 300 dentists nationwide hold this credential — a distinction that reflects a full postgraduate residency at the intersection of dentistry, neurology, and pain science.
UCLA training paired with UCSF teaching
Time spent teaching residents keeps the practice sharp on current evidence and diagnostic thinking.
Conservative treatment first, always
Oral appliances, physical medicine, targeted pharmacology, trigger point work, and coordinated care with your other providers. Surgery is a last resort, not a first offer.
Unhurried initial consultations
Complex pain histories need time. You'll leave your first visit with a working diagnosis and a plan, not a 15-minute deferral.
Opening this fall.
Stay in touch and be the first to hear about available appointments.