Malocclusion
There is an epidemic going on that almost no one knows about, and it’s causing all sorts of problems. Problems like these:
- Headache
- Neck pains
- Ringing in the ears
- Ear pain
- Pain in the muscles of the head and neck
- Migraine headaches
- Pain behind the eyes
- Pain in the temple area
- Wearing away of the teeth
- Cracked teeth and fillings
- Loss of tooth structure along the gum line (abfractions)
- Sensitive teeth
- Damage to the gum tissue and bone around the teeth
- Loose teeth
- Tooth migration
- Hot and cold sensitivity
- Destruction of jaw joints
- Clicking or grating in the jaw joints
- Locking of the jaw joints
- Pain in the jaw joints
- Limited ability to open the jaw
WOW, that’s quite a list isn’t it. All of these are caused by a dental disease called MALOCCLUSION, which is just a fancy term for a bad bite. A bad bite simply means that when you bite, your teeth don’t fit together correctly in a manner that is in harmony with the position of your jaw joints and muscles.
“MALOCCLUSION is a lack of peaceful harmony between your bite, your jaw joints, and your chewing muscles”
This is an interesting and strange problem. It is a condition that very few people in the general public know about, yet I will tell you that in my experience, most people have some degree of destruction going on in their mouth from malocclusion right now, and are completely unaware of it.
In fact I would bet dollars to donuts that YOU, right now have a problem in your mouth related to your bite. That’s how common it is. Of great concern is the fact that bite problems may make it impossible for you to resolve inflammation in your gum tissues.
Your mouth is an incredibly complex apparatus designed for chewing, swallowing, speaking, and smiling. This apparatus involves not only the teeth and how they fit together when you bite, but also all of the muscles in your head and neck, the nerves and blood vessels that supply them, and your jaw joints. All of these parts must work together in harmony. If any one of these is out of whack, it’s trouble.
Here is the tricky part. If you simply bite together right now, you will feel like your teeth fit together properly. You won’t feel any interferences in your bite, nor can you tell if your jaw joint is out of position.
Why? Because your muscles will always position your jaw to avoid hitting any interferences on your back teeth. This is a protective mechanism to keep you from breaking your teeth. See, if you were to hit on only one or two teeth when you close, these teeth would soon break. Your system is designed to prevent that.
To unravel this complex relationship we use a technique called MAGO splint therapy. The MAGO allows us to stabilize the jaw-bite relationship and formulate a final treatment plan to bring the jaw joint and bite back into alignment.
The customized solution, following the principles of Bioesthetic dentistry, is always the most conservative path to achieve long-term comfort, beauty and function. Treatment in the early stages can be as simple as a replacing worn tooth structure with filling material. As conditions deteriorate, more extensive treatment will be needed, up to and including restoration of every tooth. That is why, as always, early intervention is best.
