Locations
North Texas Center for Head, Face & TMJ Pain
Plano, TX
About
Bio
DDS degree from Baylor College of Dentistry in 1986. Since 2001, I have maintained a private practice devoted to pain management of the head and face, as well as dental sleep medicine. I have earned Fellowship in the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, the American Headache Society.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Dentistry
Pain Management
Sleep Medicine
Doctor Q&A
172 Answers
105 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 50-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Bruxism: Bruxism can occur while asleep or awake. Sleep bruxism is a sleep related movement disorder similar to other movement disorders during sleep. The move... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Treatment: Most people tend to start feeling a difference in their pain within 4-6 weeks.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
TMD treatment: Most instances oof pain in the tm joints and associated muscles are self limiting and will go away on there own. Treatmments such as bite adjustments,... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Good judgement: The best treatment for a hangover is to be judicious with your beverage consumption.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
One for both: Research has shown that a device that positions the lower jaw forward while sleeping as is used for snoring and sleep apnea, also reduces sleep bruxis... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
If..: If this is an over the counter type mouthgauard, it may be designed only for protecting the teeth. Many studies have shown worsening of symptoms of TM... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Yes: There is no benefit to thumb sucking.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Red Dots: The diagnosis would depend on how long they have been there. The dots could be irritated minor salivary gllands. This can occur in smokers but not alw... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Caveat: One condraindication to not using Epinephrine would be if there were heart conditions. The Epinephrine would be somewhat protective by keeping the ane... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Retinal Migraine: The thought is that the same mechanism involved in the aura phase of migraine is reponsible fro retinal migraine. Think of it this way; the person has... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Keep it small: No matter what type of paste you use, use a small amount; about the size of a pea.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Diagnosi: The first thing you need is an accurate diagnosis. Try to find a doctor trained to diagnose and treat facial pain such as a neurologist or facial pain... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Altered growth: Its best to try to discontinue the pacifier once the teeth begin to erupt into the mouth. Once the permanant front teeth begin to come in at about age... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Maybe: Anytime you have a headache that is worsened by exertion such as with a cough or sneeze, you should get evaluated by a headache specialist.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Different Pain: Occipital neuralgia will present as brief but very intense pulses of pain that feels electrical. It will start at the base of your skull and run to th... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Migraine: Migraine is usually a one sided headache of moderate to severe intensity. It will last 4-72 hours and may include nausea, liight and sound sensitivity... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
TMD: Jaw joint noises, limited mandibular range of motion, jaw muscle soreness and hypertrophy, bite changes, facial symetry changes, difficulty eating and... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Joint swelling: It sounds as though you have swelling or effusion in the jaw joint on that side. Usually anti inflammatories and ice work well to relieve the symptoms... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
TMJ: Common symptoms for temporomandibular joint dysfunction may include; jaw stiffness, jaw joint noises, limited jaw opening, facial muscle soreness, ear... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Neuralgia: I recommend seeing a physician who is board certified in headache or an orofacial pain dentist. This does not sound like it is related to teeth clench... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
No memory: Usually you have little to no memory of the procedure. It is like just being "turned off" for a short period of time.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Not known: While the cause for migraine is not known yet, it appears that the brain of migraine sufferers is different than those who do not get headaches. It se... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years agoMerged
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
They are different : Migraine is considered to be a nuerologic disorder with episodic presentation. It is thought that people with migraine have a more sensitive brain tha... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Best treatment: Bruxism does not necessarily need to be treated unless there is damage to the dentition and/or facial pain. There are some medications that help such ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Dentist: A dentist is the professional best trained to diagnose and treat bruxism.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Yes: There are migraine specific medications known as triptans that are very effective in most cases for stopping the headache. Other medications that can ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
No: There are some of these agents that will have fewer side affects than others but they all have the potential to produce cognative deficits. In some ca... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Different headaches: Cluster headache and migraine headache are two differnt types of headache brought on by different mechanisms. Injectable sumatriptan has been shoown t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 62-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Rtms: Im not sure what rtms is but there is data that indicates a positive response to transcranial magnetic stimulation in migraine headache if it is caugh... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
No evidence: There is no evidence that would support the notion that tooth alignment causes bruxism.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 28-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Jaw popping: Noise from a jaw joint is usually a result of a displaced articular disc or from a defect in form of the condyle, fossa or both. The noise can be a po... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Not sure: These symptoms may indicate a problem with how your body handles sugars. You should consullt with your doctor about this.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old male asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Need an evaluation: It would be impossiblle to give an accurate diagnosis without a comprehensive examination that would include imaging. The fact that you are experienci... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
NO: A clicking in your jaw joint indicates that either the cartilage is out of place or the boney structures are altered. Neither issue indicates a dysfun... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
TMJ: Common symptoms for temporomandibular joint dysfunction may include; jaw stiffness, jaw joint noises, limited jaw opening, facial muscle soreness, ear... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Specialty training: An oral surgeon is a dentist who recieved specialty education in surgery. The training can be anywhere from 4-7 years after completing 4 years of dent... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
TMJ: Tmj stands for temporomandibular joint. This is the name of the jaw joint. Disorders of this joint and the associated muscles best managed with conser... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Proper care: With proper care on the part of your dentist and yourself, these appliances can last a very long time. I have some patients wearing the same appliance... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Sleep bruxism: Sleep bruxism is a sleep related movement disorder that we seem to be born with. It is not a habit as opposed to awake bruxism. Therefore, sleep bruxi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
TMJ disc: If you can open normaly, then surgery should noot be a consideration. Most patients begin to see improvement in their symptoms within 4-6 weeks after ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Gum infection: It could be that you have an undiagnosed gum infection. If you are not seeing your dentist for a cleaning and check up at least yearly, tarter can bui... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Maybe: The two entities could happen together but they are not causaly linked. Sleep paralysis a disturbance of rapid eye movement sleep. During this time, t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
50%: Approximately 50% of CPAP wearers discontinue use in the first year. Many patiennts tolerate oral appliances much better.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
No: Unless you undergo general anesthesia, you do not need help breathing during wiisdom teeth removal. The type of sedation normally used allows your bre... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Evaluation: In some cases, insomnia is related to sleep related breathing disorders such as snoring and sleep apnea. The memory of a person is that they are not a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Varies: A tension type headache, whiich is the most common type of headache, may last several hours if you do not take medication whereas a migraine headache ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Conservative: In most cases rest, ice/heat, antiinflammatory medications, physical therapy and daytime behavioral therapy are quite effective. In some cases, the us... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Pacifier use: Besides the social stigma that may result, use of a device such as this may have a negative effect on the dentition. With adults who have a thumb suck... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed Jul 15, 2021
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Depends: Doctors who have completed fellowship training in sleep medicine will be the best resource. A clinical psychologist with training in sleep will be abl... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old female asked:
Dr. Steven Benderanswered
Dentistry 37 years experience
Varies: Medications such as gabapentine, Clonazepam and clonadine have been shown to decrease sleep bruxism. Also in severe cases, onabotulinum toxin a has be... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
4
Recommendations
346
Thank you notes
Nov 14, 2012
Extremely knowledgeable practitioner when it comes to management of pain in face, head and jaws. Also a pioneer in dental sleep medicine.
Nov 8, 2012
Very knowledgable doctor. Great answers and a great doctor to follow!
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Bender is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! I have had migraines since I was 9 years old. I'm on Topermax 50 mg. I Have spots in front of my eyes, pain on the side of my head etc..
HealthTap member
Thank you for your response! It didnt work for me and will be having surgery in about 3 1/2 weeks. Chronically locked since 8/29
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! Ever hear about the tmd ear system for tmj?
Awards
Fellow; American Headache Society
Fellow; American Academy of Orofacial Pain
Fellow; International Academy of Oral Oncology
Publications
Occipital Nerve Block for Cervicogenic Headache
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