General Membership Meeting

COURSE TITLE

"MRI and The TMJ Patient. Why It's So Important"

(The Nassau County Dental Society Designates this Activity for 2 CEU)

DATE/TIME

Monday, March 2, 2026
6:30pm-9:30pm

LOCATION

IN-PERSON
The Inn at New Hyde Park
214 Jericho Tpk. New Hyde Park, NY

COURSE DESCRIPTION/ EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

It is well established that the ability to control the occlusal forces placed on an either an implant or tooth supported prosthesis is critical to the long term success of the restoration as well as the maintenance of the implant bone interface. In order to be able to control occlusal forces predictably, the TMJs must be functioning properly. The TMJs are the positioning elements of the mandible during closure. If the TMJs are not stable, the occlusion will also not be stable. If the TMJs are not stable, even the best dentistry will fail. Therefore, it is extremely important to not only be able to recognize the patient who has a TMJ problem upon presentation to your office but also then be able to refer that patient for an MRI of their TMJs. Whether the dentition is worn and breaking down or the patient has some type of oral facial pain or facial skeletal deformity, only with MRI can the hard and soft tissue structures of the jaw joints be properly assessed. Only with MRI can the condylar-disc relationship be properly assessed.

When a TMJ MRI is indicated, the main issues to be identified from MRI are: 

• Structural integrity of the jaw joints - Stability vs Instability 

• Potential Sources of Pain.

UPON COMPLETION OF THIS PRESENTATION, ATTENDEES WILL HAVE THE BASIC INFORMATION AND SKILLS TO:

• Understand basic TMJ anatomy and function.

• Understand the different types of MRI images and their significance.

• Understand the significance of basic TMJ MRI interpretation from a restorative point of view.

• Understand the significance of MRI to the child whose lower jaw is not growing properly.

• Understand the necessity of cervical spine MRI in conjunction with TMJ MRI and overlapping pain patterns.

• Understand a brief introduction to diagnostic nerve blocks. 3 

Lecture, PowerPoint presentation and Q&A

SPEAKER

Dr Glenn Gittelson

Dr. Gittelson has been in private practice for forty two years as a restorative dentist. For the last twenty five years, his practice has focused primarily on diagnosing and treating TMJ related disorders, as well as head, neck, facial pain and  Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, (CRPS/RSD) disorders in children, adolescents and adults.  Dr. Gittelson has extensive and ongoing training in the science of jaw joint diagnostics and facial pain diagnostics, as well as TMJ and cervical spine MRI and CT interpretation.  He received this ongoing and comprehensive training at the prestigious Piper Education and Research Center, in St. Petersburg, FL under the direct tutelage of Mark Piper, M.D., D.M.D.

Dr Gittelson offers educational seminars to the general public on CRPS. Dr Gittelson also offers courses to doctors and qualified practitioners on the science of CRPS diagnostics and treatment including various types of diagnostic nerve blocks. 

None

SPONSOR

REGISTRATION FEES

NCDS Member Dentists: No Fee

Residents/Dental Students: No Fee

NCDS Associate Members: $75

Non-Member Dentists $195.00

Other Component ADA Member Dentists: $125

Non-Dentist Staff: $100

Note: All unregistered Walk-ins will incur a fee of $25 in addition to the fees listed above.

REGISTRATION, CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY

Pre-registration is required for all courses. Payment is due upon registration (where applicable). Refunds will be issued if we are notified more than 24 hours prior to the event start time; credits for future courses will not be provided. The schedule is subject to change.

Please call us at 516-227-1112 if you have any questions about this lecture. To view our courses by month, click on the calendar tab at www.nassaudental.org. 

TO REGISTER, CLICK THE LINK BELOW:

Click Here to Register for MRI and The TMJ Patient.

 Registration Closes at Midnight 2/26/26.   However, being an In-person course, registration may close earlier if room capacity is reached.

NOTE: Failure to attend a course you have registered for without canceling 24 hours in advance will result in a $50 fee and the inability to register for any future courses until the fee is paid.

If you are having difficulty with the online registration, send an email to office@nassaudental.org. Include your full name, ADA number, and the name of the course for which you want to register.
If payment is due, please provide a phone number at which you can be reached to provide credit card information for payment.