We don’t often think about the way our teeth meet together, through this action we are able to chew and chew hundreds of time a day. The proper term for this is called dental occlusion referring to the way your teeth meet when your jaws bite together.
If your teeth don’t fit together properly it can cause you all sorts of problems and not ones just related to your teeth. Problems with your jaw is a common cause of headaches and can be exasperated if you are clenching or grinding your teeth, which often occurs with the daily stresses of life.
Up to 1 in 4 people can display symptoms related to jaw issues. Women and men are both equally affected, although women tend to ask for treatment more often than men.
TMJ
The TMJ which stands for the ‘temporo-mandibular joint’, is the joint that’s responsible for connecting your lower jaw and your skull. This movement allows your joint to open and close your mouth and chew from side to side.
Headaches,clicking, grinding or pain in your jaw joints, ringing or buzzing in your ears and difficulty in opening or closing your mouth could all be due to your teeth not meeting each other properly.
Headaches
If your jaw is in the wrong position, the muscles that move the jaw have to work a lot harder and can get tired. This leads to muscle spasm. The main symptoms are continual headaches or migraine, especially first thing in the morning; pain behind your eyes, sinus pain and pains in your neck and shoulders. Sometimes even back muscles can be involved.
How can I tell if I have a problem?
Lots of people don’t necessarily have the perfect bite due to imperfect occlusion and missing teeth, yet they might not display any symptoms because they adjust to their problems. Occasionally, in times of increased stress and tension, the symptoms may appear and then go away immediately.
Other things to look for when trying to establish whether you have a TMJ problem:
flattened, worn teeth
broken teeth, fillings and crowns
loose teeth
continual sensitivity of your teeth to temperature change
toothache with no apparent cause
Clenching and/or grinding your teeth can also add to the problem, although most people who do this aren’t aware of it. It can be a good idea to ask your partner if they have noticed you doing it.
Clenching and grinding can be caused by stress and anxiety, however most of the time people clench their teeth because they are concentrating on a task.
You may wake up in the morning with a stiff jaw or tenderness when you bite together. This could be due to clenching or grinding your teeth in your sleep. The majority of people who grind their teeth do it while they are asleep and may not know they are doing it.
If you suffer from severe headaches, or neck and shoulder pain, you may not have linked this with possible jaw problems. Or you may keep having pain or discomfort on the side of your face around your ears or jaw joints or difficulty in moving your jaw. These are all symptoms of TMJ problems.
How are occlusal problems treated?
Treating TMJ problems really depends on the symptoms you’re having, it can be possible to spot the signs of an occlusal problem.
At Smile Essential Dental Practice we review this at every dental health check carrying out an examination of your TMJ and looking for evidence of wear on the teeth. Various muscles may be sore when tested, or the broken and worn areas of your teeth will show you are grinding your teeth – a common sign of an incorrect bite.
Treatments
Mouthguard: If your symptoms are due to an incorrect bite, then you may benefit from wearing a mouthguard to improve the problem. This appliance needs to be measured and fitted very accurately so that when you bite on it, all your teeth meet at exactly the same time in a position where your muscles are relaxed.
Equilibration: Tooth adjustment may be necessary on your teeth may carefully adjusted to meet evenly. Changing the direction and position of the slopes that guide your teeth together can often help to reposition the jaw.
Replacement of teeth: If you have missing teeth this may mean that your teeth and jaw aren’t balanced and could be the cause of your problem. Replacing missing teeth with either with a partial denture, bridge or implants could relieve your symptoms.
Diet: if you are experiencing symptoms it’s advisable to stick to a soft diet avoiding any heaving chewing or opening too wide such as when you bite into an apple or pizza.
Exercise: Just as physiotherapy exercises can help other joint issue in the body it can often help with TMJ issues. If we feel this would benefit you we will demonstrate some of these to you and given you a written exercise sheet to perform.
Relaxation: if you are constantly grinding or clenching your teeth due to life stresses it’s a good idea to try and resolve these and take some time out for rest and relaxation.
Teeth straightening: If your teeth are too far out of line or in a totally incorrect bite position, you may need to have an orthodontic appliance (brace) fitted to move them into a better position.
If you are concerned at all about TMJ issues or frequently suffer from unexplained headaches then please do speak to us. Your dentist will be able to carryout the necessary test and propose a treatment to help relieve your symptoms.