For patients who are being referred for treatment of their Temporomandibular joints, the following will occur on your first office visit. You will be evaluated and examined by a doctor. A scout radiograph called a Panorex will be taken. Measurements of your jaw opening and side movements will be made and a record of your pain grade will also be made. This grade is on a 0 to 10 scale with 10 being the worse pain imaginable. Once you have been evaluated, obtaining MRI's of your TMJ, as well as, a request for splint fabrication (oral orthotic device) and physical therapy will be requested. If an oral orthotic device is recommended, impressions of your teeth will be made.
Molds will be fabricated of your teeth and then sent out for the device to be made. This usually takes 7 to 10 working days. If an MRI is recommended, you will be given a prescription for the radiographic exam. You will be referred to an approved MRI center for the scan to be performed.
Once the scan is completed, you must have the MRI center duplicate the films and give you the copies or have them give you the scan on a CD. You are then to bring the CD or films to us at your next office visit. All this information will be reviewed at your second office visit.
After physical therapy and conservative treatment is performed for a few weeks, you will then be re-evaluated. If further action is required it will be recommended at that time. The procedure is performed as an outpatient procedure in a hospital or in our office under general anesthesia. It involves making a small puncture in front of your ear and a small probe inserted into your joint. When finished, a band-aid is applied. Usually, there are no stitches involved. Following the procedure, it is required that post-operative physical therapy begins within 24-48 hours.
An oral rehabilitation device may be recommended for you following your surgery. We usually recommend either a Therabyte or Dyna-Surg splint. These devices require pre-approval from most insurance companies and must be done so in advance of your surgery.
Post-operative appointments are usually at 1 and 2 weeks following arthroscopy. At those visits, measurements will be made of your jaw opening and side movements. Additionally, you will be asked to once again grade your pain on a zero to 10 scale.
Most patients are concerned about popping. This is a function of your disc within your temporomandibular joint. Not all noises are eliminated with surgery. Occasionally some popping persists.
If you have any further questions regarding this visit and treatment, please write your questions down. Remember to bring those questions to your office visit and do not hesitate to ask those questions to your treating doctor at the time of your visit.
As one of the premiere oral and maxillofacial surgery practices in South Florida, we are proud to be affiliated with numerous reputable hospitals.
Here at Oral Facial Reconstruction and Implant Center, we make every effort to provide you with both the finest care and convenient financial options.
We are located close to local hospitals to grant you further peace of mind.
Dear Valued Patients,
We’ve been serving our community since 1975 and have continued to serve our community by attending dental emergencies throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
With that in mind, Oral Facial Reconstruction and Implant Center HAS REOPENED four of its five offices located in Plantation, Aventura, Pembroke Pines, and Coral Springs. The openings are effective as of July 7th, 2020 and the offices will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For our Plantation location, we will be open from 9 a.m to 1 p.m Monday, through Friday. Our Coral Springs location will be closed Tuesdays and Thursdays, and our Aventura location will be closed Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, until further notice.
Our Miami Beach location is closed temporarily, please give us a call if you have any questions.
As you know, your health and safety is our main concern, we will continue to follow strict OSHA and CDC Guidelines. We boast state-of-the-art sterilization centers and we will be implementing the following guidelines to maintain patient safety:
· Prior to your visit, we ask that you go to our website www.oralfacial.com. Click on the top right button, online forms, and fill out paperwork, print and bring to your visit so we may decrease wait-times.
· All patients will be carefully screened prior to their visit. We ask that you inform our schedulers of any symptoms and advise us if you have recently traveled locally or internationally via plane, cruise ship, or other forms of mass transportation.
· We ask that you bring a complete list of medications you are currently taking, as well as any allergies you may have.
· If you bring family members to your visit, please ask them to remain in the car as we are limiting the office to patients only.
· We will require all patients to wear facemasks, your temperature will be taken, and we will also require that patients sanitize their hands.
Please remember that we are taking these necessary precautions so we can continue to bring you the quality surgical care you’ve come to expect from our name. Together we will get through this, and we look forward to seeing you in the near future.
Sincerely,
Dr.’s Friedman, Payton, Cardenas, and Lopez
Oral Facial Reconstruction and Implant Center