Creating a healthy, comfortable bite

Do you suffer from recurrent headaches? You might attribute them to stress. But stress might not be the underlying cause. In fact, it may surprise you to learn the cause just may be the disharmony of the muscles in your head and neck, resulting in an uncomfortable jaw position.

When the bite is off (malocclusion), problems are sure to follow. The most commonly known problem is TMJ (temporomandibular joint syndrome), a condition that causes pain and soreness in the jaw. But malocclusion can also cause a variety of health problems that can easily be mistaken for something else.

For example, if you have ever seen a person with no teeth in his mouth, it almost appears as if his chin can touch his nose. That is because the teeth are not there to create a vertical stop to the bite.

But just because you have teeth does not mean your bite is in the correct position. As you age and use your teeth, they naturally become worn down. This change in tooth length causes you to “over-close” when your teeth are in contact. The muscles have to contract more to get the teeth to make contact. As a result, they compensate by staying contracted, causing spasms, pain and soreness. After a while, they get tired, produce lactic acid, and hurt.

Fortunately, Neuromuscular Dentistry is the solution.