Orofacial pain is the specialty for pain no one else is trained to explain.
If you've been living with jaw pain, chronic headaches, nerve pain, or unexplained discomfort in the face or head, orofacial pain is likely the specialty you've been looking for and didn't know existed.
The specialty for pain of the mouth, face, jaw, and head.
Orofacial pain is both the region and the dental specialty dedicated to diagnosing and treating it. Most pain in the body falls clearly within someone's domain. Pain in the jaw, face, and head is different — it lives at the intersection of dentistry and medicine, and it frequently falls through the cracks of both.
A general dentist isn't trained to diagnose why your jaw has ached for three years. A neurologist isn't equipped to assess whether jaw muscles are contributing to your migraines. An ENT isn't trained to examine the temporomandibular joints.
Orofacial pain specialists work in exactly this overlap — and that overlap is the whole practice.
A closer look at each condition
TMJ Disorders
Pain, clicking, locking, and referred symptoms in the temples, ears, and neck driven by the joints and muscles that move the jaw.
Headaches & Migraines with a Jaw Component
Headaches that look like migraine but don't respond to migraine treatment — often because the trigeminal nerve is being activated by jaw dysfunction.
Sleep Apnea & Dental Sleep Medicine
Custom oral appliance therapy as a first-line alternative to CPAP for mild-to-moderate OSA, and as an adjunct for CPAP-intolerant patients.
Bruxism & Teeth Grinding
A neurologically driven behavior — often linked to sleep-disordered breathing — that a standard night guard won't resolve on its own.
Nerve Pain & Trigeminal Neuralgia
Sudden electric-shock pain, post-traumatic facial pain, persistent idiopathic facial pain, and other neuropathic conditions.
Other Orofacial Conditions
Burning mouth syndrome, post-traumatic facial pain, persistent idiopathic facial pain, and other atypical neuropathic conditions — covered on the nerve pain page.
Pain that refers, overlaps, and evades a single test.
- Referral patterns. The trigeminal system refers pain to the temples, ears, and behind the eyes — so the source is rarely where the symptom lives.
- Overlapping specialties. Symptoms mimic dental, neurological, and ENT problems at once.
- No single diagnostic test. Diagnosis is clinical: history, exam, imaging review, and pattern recognition.
- It compounds over time. Pain that persists for months or years can trigger changes in the nervous system itself, making it harder to trace back to where it started.
Signs this specialty fits you
- You've had unexplained jaw, facial, or head pain for more than a few months.
- You've been diagnosed with TMJ but haven't found lasting relief.
- Your migraine or headache treatment isn't working as expected.
- You have symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia or nerve pain.
- You grind or clench your teeth — with or without a night guard.
- You have sleep apnea and want an alternative to CPAP.
- You've been bounced between multiple providers without answers.
- You want a rigorous second opinion.
Fewer than 300 nationwide.
The American Board of Orofacial Pain (DABOP) is the specialty's highest credential. Fewer than 300 dentists in the country hold it. Dr. Kruman earned his after completing UCLA's Orofacial Pain & Dental Sleep Medicine residency — one of the most selective programs of its kind — where he served as Chief Resident.
When the credential is this rare, geography matters. San Francisco has only a handful of DABOP-certified providers, and matching to one who has the time and training to actually work through a complex case is the whole point of this practice.
What a first visit looks like
Detailed pain history
Timeline, triggers, prior workups, medications, and everything that has or hasn't helped.
Joint and muscle exam
TMJ mobility, muscle palpation, range of motion, and functional testing.
Cranial nerve screening
Focused neurological screen relevant to the trigeminal system and adjacent nerves.
Imaging review
MRI, CT, and panoramic imaging you've already had — no unnecessary duplication.
Screening for related conditions
Sleep, bruxism, cervicogenic contributors, and central sensitization signs.
A working plan
You leave with a diagnosis (or the next step to get one) and a treatment strategy.
Planning a visit? See fees and insurance information.
Opening this fall.
Stay in touch and be the first to hear about available appointments.