Gary M. Heir, DMD, an Orofacial Pain Dentist with Rutgers School of Dental Medicine

Get to know Dentist Dr. Gary M. Heir, who serves patients in Newark, New Jersey.

A seasoned clinician, Dr. Heir is a Full Professor, Program and Clinical Director of the Center for Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain of the Department of Diagnostic Sciences at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine. Recently he was given the honor of appointment as the Carmel Chair of Algesiology. He is a specialist in orofacial pain, a Past President of the American Board of Orofacial Pain and the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. Dr. Heir served under three New Jersey Governors on the New Jersey Governor’s Lyme Disease Advisory Commission

Orofacial Pain is the specialty of dentistry that encompasses the diagnosis, management and treatment of pain disorders of the jaw, mouth, face, head and neck. The specialty of Orofacial Pain is dedicated to the evidenced-based understanding of the underlying pathophysiology, etiology, prevention, and treatment of these disorders and improving access to interdisciplinary patient care.

Educated in the United States, Dr. Heir pursued undergraduate studies at Temple University, and received his Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry degree from the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School in 1972.

On a professional level, Dr. Heir is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain. He is past president of both of these organizations. Dr. Heir serves as a Commissioner and site inspector for the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association,  is an active member of the American Association for the Study of Headache, the American Dental Association, the Association of Migraine Disorders, the International Association for the Study of Pain, and the International Headache Society.

Over the past decade, Dr. Heir played a significant role alongside a committee of national orofacial pain program directors and the American Academy of Orofacial Pain to get orofacial pain recognized as the 12th specialty in dentistry by the American Dental Association in March 2020. He is also the signatory on the application to the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards for recognition of the American Board of Orofacial Pain as the official certifying Board for the specialty in March 2022.

An internationally recognized expert on orofacial pain, Dr. Heir has published papers, chapters and abstracts on topics related to the field of temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain, He serves as the editor for the Orofacial Pain Neuroscience Section of The Journal of the American Dental Association, and also serves on the editorial boards of many other peer-reviewed journals.

Learn More about Dr. Gary M. Heir:

Through his findatopdoc profile, https://www.findatopdoc.com/doctor/1347820-Gary-Heir-Dentist

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Karen Johnson is an Associate Content manager for FindaTopDoc and responsible for working with distinguished physicians in documenting their significant accomplishments in their field. Karen is a CPR instructor and is a member of her local theater group.