Headaches & Bite Problems

Bite and jaw problems affect one in four people and yet this aspect of preventive dental care is frequently overlooked. If your teeth don’t meet together properly, you may have problems not only in your teeth, but also the gums, the temperomandibular jaw joint (TMJ) and the muscles that move your jaw. These problems are called ‘occlusal problems’ and may include the following:

Teeth – Teeth that are out of line, heavily worn or constantly breaking, fillings that fracture or crowns that work loose may all be signs of occlusal problems. Teeth might also be tender to bite on or may ache at certain times of day.

Gums - Mobile teeth or receding gums can be made worse by a faulty bite.

TMJ - 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 together properly.

Muscles - 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 the muscles of the back get involved.

Many people have a less than perfect bite and missing teeth, yet will adjust to the problem and not get symptoms until times of increased stress or tension. Occlusal problems are often overlooked because people are not aware that they clench or grind their teeth and so find it hard to link the above symptoms to their bite.

We can offer various solutions to prevent and relieve bite-related symptoms including preventive advice and exercises, occlusal splints, tooth adjustments (equilibration) and when relevant replacement of missing teeth.