ABOUT US

As an Orofacial Pain Specialist, Dr. Margaret Dennis has limited her practice to the diagnosis and treatment of facial pain, tempormandibular join disorders, and pain of the head, neck, face, teeth, jaw, and surrounding tissues. She provides compressive diagnosis and treatment for patients suffering from a variety of facial pain disorders.

Every patient is different and some TMD treatment solutions are easier to solve than others. Dr. Margaret Dennis wants to help her patients get better but more importantly she wants her patients to understand what is going on with their TMJ’s as well. Getting the patient out of pain is important but helping the patient to figure out and understand their problem is the Orofacial Pain Center’s overriding concern.

Our Mission

At The Orofacial Pain Center, we educate the patient so they can truly understand their condition and play an active role in their medical decisions, their care, and their healing. We take the necessary time with our patients, listening to their needs, explaining the diagnosis, and clarifying their treatment options - all of which are very important steps towards living pain free.

Your First Appointment With Us

The Orofacial Pain Center is a fee for service facility dedicated to the medical treatment of acute and chronic head and neck pain. This encompasses the medical treatment of temporomandibular join (TMJ) pain and dysfunction, severe clenching and grinding, occlusal discrepancies, myofascial pain, headaches, pain referred from other areas of the body, whiplash syndrome including facial pain and/or headaches, unusual pain in the face or teeth, neuropathic pain, trigeminal neuralgia and sleep apnea. Dr. Dennis is the only orofacial pain management doctor to graduate from her program in the southeastern United States. Dr. Dennis strongly believes that educating and informing patients is of utmost importance.

Your first visit to The Orofacial Pain Center will include a thorough examination by Dr. Dennis, herself. The visit may last 2 to 3 hours. After the examination, further tests may be ordered. A consultation appointment will follow to discuss the diagnoses and recommended treatment options.

The initial approach to therapy is conservative and reversible. No treatment that permanently alters the teeth is provided at The Orofacial Pain Center. Therefore, if dental therapy is indicated, the patient’s dentist will be contacted for advice on recommended treatment or referral. We offer bite splint therapy and myofascial release treatment by a licensed massage therapist, if prescribed.

As a referral center, we offer consultation services to physicians, dentists, physical therapists, massage therapists, psychologists, pain management specialists, oral surgeons, and chiropractors. Dr. Dennis will be happy to discuss and assist any doctors that have patients who are unresponsive to routine therapies and/or modalities. She is available for informal “lunch and learn” programs in offices and more formal lectures should a professional association be interested. Her specialized training is particularly useful following trauma situations such as automobile accidents.

Dr. Dennis’ Bio

Dr. Margaret L. Dennis was born and raised in Central Florida. Her parents are retired public school teachers and have been married for over 52 years. She is a lifelong Girl Scout and has spent years leading and assisting with many Girl Scout troops.

After graduating from dental school in 1987, Dr. Dennis set up a restorative dental practice, Pablo Family Dentistry, in Jacksonville, Florida. During this time, Dr. Dennis attended hundreds of hours of continuing education.

She has studied under great leaders in the dental field such as Dr. Mark A. Piper, Dr. Peter Dawson, Dr. Frank Spear, Dr. Jeffrey P. Okeson, Dr. Jack W. Turbyfill and Dr. Parker Mahan. Dr. Dennis has completed the entire educational program at the Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Studies and Piper Education Research Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is currently a member of the American Dental Association, The Northeast District Dental Association, The Jacksonville Dental Society, and The American Academy of Orofacial Pain.

Facial pain diagnosis and management became a passion of Dr. Dennis’ in 1995 following an auto accident that left her suffering with chronic pain and the ability to practice restorative dentistry. Also, in 1997, a close family member with a history of chronic headaches turned to her for help.

After 15 years of restorative dentistry, Dr. Dennis decided to go back to school to further her education in facial pain management. In 2003, Dr. Dennis completed a fellowship at The University of Kentucky Orofacial Pain Center, one of only three degreed programs in the country. Since returning to Jacksonville, her attention is now focused on diagnosing and treating the many types and causes of facial pain.

Our Experience