Orofacial Pain Lecture Information

Presented by Rich Hirschinger, DDS, MBA
Diplomate American Board of Orofacial Pain  Fellow American Academy of Orofacial Pain

In the past, if a doctor could not account for the source of a patient’s pain, treatment was provided including root canals and/or extractions. If the pain did not resolve even after an extraction, it was assumed the patient was crazy or the pain was not related to the scope of dentistry, and the patient was referred to a physician or they just continued to live with their pain. During the presentation, you will see a video testimonial of a patient who had multiple root canals when the source of her pain was not the teeth. You will see a video testimonial of a patient with a 15-year history of “TMJ” treatment but the cause of her pain was not the joint, and how her pain resolved with the proper diagnosis and treatment. You will learn about patients that had other dental treatment that did not to relieve their pain since the pain was not odontogenic, and you will learn how muscles can, and do, cause severe pain that can cause patients to be very debilitated since no doctor had properly diagnosed their pain as being caused by muscles. Dr. Hirschinger has lectured to a group as small as 10 and to a group as large as 2,000. 

Please visit the Doctor Testimonials page to read what your colleagues have to say about Dr. Hirschinger's orofacial pain lectures. 

Learning objectives:

After taking the course, the participant should be able to:

1. Identify the muscle referral patterns of the head and neck and how muscles can cause tooth pain.
2. Understand the rationale behind trigger point injections, and when lidocaine and Botox are and are not indicated.
3. Recognize the signs and symptoms of neuropathic pain such as trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, and nervus intermedius neuralgia.
4. Understand the protocol of a gross neurological exam.
5. Learn why most TMJ pain is not related to the joint.
6. Recognize clear signs and symptoms of myasthenia gravis.
7. Learn why the site and source of a patient with orofacial pain are usually never the same.
8. Learn how to recognize various headaches according to the International Headache Society standards.
9. Localize pain and be more certain of a diagnosis before irreversible dental treatment is rendered.
10. How to quickly rule out occlusion as a cause of a patient's pain.
11. How to provide very conservative treatment to patients with chronic head and neck pain including treatment for bruxism and osteoarthritis.

About the speaker:

Dr. Rich Hirschinger is in private practice treating patients with orofacial pain and obstructive sleep apnea at his office in Beverly Hills. He graduated from the University of Southern California School of Dentistry in 1985 and practiced dentistry for 10 years after which separate hand and back injuries forced him to sell his practice. After receiving a Masters in Business Administration from the USC Marshall School of Business in 2001, he founded DDS.com and DMD.com. After a few other life-changing events, he completed a 2-year full-time residency in Orofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine at the UCLA School of Dentistry in 2012 and became a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain the same year. In 2013, Officite acquired DDS.com. He started his private practice in Beverly Hills, CA, in May 2013 and limits his practice to the treatment of headaches including migraines, cluster, tension-type headaches, and other primary headaches, myofascial pain, neuropathic pain including trigeminal neuralgia, obstructive sleep apnea, and TMJ. Dr. Hirschinger is also a lecturer at UCLA in the Orofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine residency program. And he practices without a high-speed handpiece.

*Disclosure: Dr. Hirschinger is the inventor of the gentle jaw, a passive jaw stretching device, which is discussed in his lecture.

Lecture time

Lecture time can be tailored to the desires of the audience from 1 hour, to two days, which includes a hands-on component to learn how to do an exam, charting, and trigger point injections.

Please use the Contact Us form for more information or to schedule Dr. Hirschinger to lecture to your group, study club, local or state dental society.

Learn more about Dr. Rich Hirschinger and his orofacial pain practice in Beverly Hills, CA.

Please view Dr. Rich Hirschinger's 2024 CV.