Is an orofacial pain specialist a dentist or a physician?

A dentist. Orofacial pain is a dental specialty, which is why the training concentrates on the jaw joint, the chewing muscles, the teeth and the nerves that supply them. Where a condition sits outside that scope — a primary headache disorder, for example — the appropriate step is co-management with your physician or neurologist, not treating around them.

Do I need a referral to be seen?

No. Many people arrive on their own after a long stretch of unexplained facial pain, and many are referred by a dentist, physician or physical therapist. Either route is fine, though any imaging or notes you already have are worth bringing.

Can this be handled entirely by video?

The consultation can. A thorough history does most of the diagnostic work in orofacial pain, and video is a better setting for a long history than a compressed first appointment. A definitive diagnosis usually needs hands-on examination of the joint and muscles, which is arranged in person.

Orofacial Pain Specialist in New York

Orofacial pain became the twelfth recognised dental specialty in the United States in 2020. That recency matters: most practising dentists trained before it existed, and the title is used far more loosely than the credential warrants. Knowing what the specialty actually covers is the difference between finding the right clinician and cycling through the wrong ones.

What the specialty covers

Orofacial pain encompasses temporomandibular disorders, masticatory muscle pain, neuropathic facial pain such as trigeminal neuralgia, persistent idiopathic facial pain, headache attributed to jaw and neck structures, and the sleep disorders that interact with all of them. It is explicitly a diagnostic discipline first — the training is weighted toward working out which structure generates the pain, because that determination drives everything downstream.

Recognised specialty, loosely used title

Board certification in orofacial pain requires completion of an accredited residency and a board examination. Separately, credentialing bodies such as the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain award fellowships that reflect substantial postgraduate training and examination in the same field. Both are meaningful and both are verifiable. What is not meaningful is a weekend course, and there is nothing stopping a clinician who has taken one from advertising an interest in TMJ.

How to check, in about five minutes

Ask three questions and expect specific answers. Where did the postgraduate training take place, and over what period? Which credentialing body issued the fellowship or certification, and in what year? What proportion of the practice is orofacial pain and TMJ rather than general dentistry? A clinician who works in this field routinely will answer all three without hesitation, and the awarding bodies maintain directories you can check independently.

Dr. Samadian's background

Dr. Amin Samadian is a Fellow of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain and practises with a focus on temporomandibular disorders, orofacial pain and dental sleep medicine. He taught at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry from 2016 to 2020. New York care begins with a virtual consultation, with in-person appointments arranged where they are clinically appropriate.

Common questions

Is an orofacial pain specialist a dentist or a physician?: A dentist. Orofacial pain is a dental specialty, which is why the training concentrates on the jaw joint, the chewing muscles, the teeth and the nerves that supply them. Where a condition sits outside that scope — a primary headache disorder, for example — the appropriate step is co-management with your physician or neurologist, not treating around them.
Do I need a referral to be seen?: No. Many people arrive on their own after a long stretch of unexplained facial pain, and many are referred by a dentist, physician or physical therapist. Either route is fine, though any imaging or notes you already have are worth bringing.
Can this be handled entirely by video?: The consultation can. A thorough history does most of the diagnostic work in orofacial pain, and video is a better setting for a long history than a compressed first appointment. A definitive diagnosis usually needs hands-on examination of the joint and muscles, which is arranged in person.

Not sure where to start?

Request a virtual consultation with Dr. Samadian. In-person visits are by appointment in New York.

Book An Appointment

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