I can honestly say that Dr. Gelb is my hero. I never had TMJ problems before and I was never aware this type of issue existed. I was diagnosed with a form of Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was 13, so when my jaw started hurting, I attributed it to that. However, one day I bit into a peanut butter sandwich and everything changed. My jaw locked in place and I felt the most excruciating pain. At first, my jaw would lock once every few weeks, but it quickly increased to locking every day, multiple times a day. My jaw locked for up to an hour at one point. I was only 15 and it was occurring while I was in school or hanging out with friends. My mom brought me to a total of 8 different doctors who either had no idea what/why this was happening or prescribed me pain killers that would just knock me out and prevented me from doing my best in class. One doctor even thought I was lying about my jaw and asked if I was just Depressed. He laughed at me. I gave up all hope and then one day my mom discovered the Gelb Center and brought me. I had no expectations and thought I would have to live with such horrible pain for the rest of my life. Dr. Gelb changed everything for me.
He was extremely thorough and took photos and x-rays of my jaw, muscles, and teeth. He was so nice and really took the time to listen to all of my complaints. His assistants were also incredibly nice and thorough. He fitted me for two bite plates, one for sleeping, and one for the day time.
By leaving them in and following his instructions, I can say with complete honesty, that my jaw has not locked since the day he helped me. It has been almost 5 years since I have been seeing him and I have no more clicking, locking, pain, discomfort, my headaches decreased, and my face is not as round as it used to be. My muscles are no longer tense and I have a clear jaw line. Dr. Gelb even helped me in determining my sleeping problems. He sent me for an overnight sleep test and recommended I go see Dr. Rickert, an ENT. My tonsils needed to be removed and afterward, my sleep got so much better.
My insurance does not cover his visits, which is the only downside, and recently there have been some problems with the staff at the front desk. In the past few months, there was a constant back-and-forth with my insurance, me, and his staff in getting me a new bite plate. Dr. Gelb is doing his best in hiring better staff and giving his patients the care they deserve. He gave me three new bite plates free of charge due to what was happening and is making sure that his staff properly helps.
He is the only doctor I will ever trust with my TMJ and the only doctor who seemed to really care and want to help me. Dr. Gelb made sure to assist me in finding me a Rheumatologist, Physical Therapist, and ENT.
By far the best doctor in NYC. I highly recommend people see him because TMJ can be solved and linked to so many daily problems!