Bite Stability: Jaw Joint-Teeth Relationship

The jaw joint is where the lower jaw meets the skull. The lower jaw has a condyle on the right and one on the left sides, each resemble a "ball". These "balls" seat in their sockets formed by bones in the skull. It is in this socket where the jaw hinges to open and close. Your teeth are connected to your lower jaw. If your bite is "off" it will cause the condyles to un-seat from their socket. This causes muscle soreness, tooth aches, gum problems and loose teeth.

Unfortunately serious dental problems begin silently. Decay never hurts until it is very deep, near the nerve. Gum disease never hurts until there is extreme bone loss. Once this happens the disease is so far advanced. The same with jaw related problems. TMJ.

A possible solution is polishing the contours of teeth so that they fit together in a more harmonious relationship. Kind of like a door that sticks, if polished and aligned correctly the door will swing freely and will not scrape or damage anything in the process.

When stresses of the bite are distributed more evenly, stability results. One way you can tell if you have a bite relationship problem is if you have worn the enamel off the teeth. The dentin (under the enamel) is 7x softer and will wear that much faster. Under the dentin is the nerve. If you get into the nerve a root canal, post and crown will be needed.

When a tooth is interfering and is adjusted there is a period of time when the tooth can rebound and shift slightly. This is normal and so on average one to three adjustment appointments are needed to align and balance the bite.

Symptoms you may notice that indicate your bite is probably unbalanced are: muscle soreness, headaches, earaches, ringing in the ears, pain in the joint, worn teeth (enamel is worn off revealing the orange dentin which is 7x softer), shifting teeth, drifting teeth, sensitive teeth, grinding/clenching.