JENNIFER BUCHANAN, DDS, DABOP, FAAOP

Orofacial Pain Specialist

Director, UCSF Center for Orofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine
Associate Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Dentistry

Jennifer Buchanan, DDS has dedicated the past 35 years to helping patients with TMJ and jaw pain issues. She is the go-to referral for Bay Area dentists whose patients need help diagnosing and treating jaw pain disorders.
Dr. Buchanan's interest in temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain is personal.  She suffered from "TMJ" pain and disfunction since the age of 13 and was treated by many dentists unsuccessfully with analysis and adjustments to her bite.  When she went to dental school at UCSF and studied with Dr. Charles McNeill, she began to understand the nature of orthopedic injuries, the role of habitual movement patterns, and a bio-psycho-social model for temporomandibular disorders.  With greater awareness and understanding of her own chronic pain problem, she was able to learn to care for herself and has been pain-free for over 35 years. "I'm able to treat my patients from both my professional depth of knowledge as well as my personal experience with a temporomandibular disorder." 
She began the study and treatment of snoring and sleep apnea in 2007 and has completed training at UCLA in Dental Sleep Medicine.  ​Dr. Buchanan is the director of the UCSF Center for Orofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine.  She is an assistant clinical professor at UCSF where she enjoys teaching the next generation of dentists about jaw pain and TMJ disorders.