Last week I talked about the importance of a stable bite.  The National Institute of Health estimates that more than 10 million Americans have problems affecting the jaw joints and their associated muscles.  An unstable bite can have a big influence on the health of the jaws. 

You may have a poor bite if you experience any of the following:

• You clench your jaw muscles for long periods of time
• When you wake up in the morning, your jaw muscles feel tired or sore to the touch
• You experience pain behind the eyes
• You grind your teeth while you are sleeping
• Your jaw clicks and pops upon opening
• Your head or scalp feels painful when you touch it
• Your ears ache or you hear ringing
• You have neck, shoulder or back pain
• You feel dizzy

Quite a list isn’t it, but if you experience any of these symptoms, your dentist can evaluate your bite to determine if it is a probable contributing factor.  If so, your dentist will recommend an effective plan of treatment.

As I mentioned last week, a “bite splint” is often one of the first lines of treatment.  The hard acrylic appliance is fabricated to snugly fit over either your upper or lower teeth and then precisely adjusted to become a temporary perfect bite for you.  I say temporary because once you take it out, you are back to the bite you’ve always had.  With an accurately adjusted bite splint you will experience what a comfortable difference a stable bite can make on your teeth, muscles and jaw.

Following the new bite evaluation with the splint, you and your dentist will determine what course of treatment needs to be taken to provide you with a stable bite.  Your dentist will discuss altering the teeth so they move smoothly against each other and fit into the same solid position you felt with the bite splint.  Four basic options are available.  First is to do nothing.  Sometimes night time wear of the bite splint is enough to protect the teeth and jaw joints from further destruction, although this does nothing for problems that occur during the day.  Second, you can reposition the teeth to fit into the same ideal bite as you had with the splint through orthodontic therapy (yes that’s braces!).  Third you could restore worn or broken teeth to their original shape and size to stabilize the bite with crowns or fillings.  Last of all your dentist may discuss gently reshaping your teeth (an equilibration) so they will function in the same comfortable manner as they did on the bite splint. 

In rare cases where the joint has been badly damaged, the bite splint may not achieve the desired results.  When this occurs, advanced joint imaging and consultation with a specialist may be necessary to address the changes in the jaw joints.

Whatever is recommended, the dentist will be sure to spend time ensuring that you have a clear understanding of why the treatment is prescribed, what to expect and a clear picture of the anticipated outcome.  Keeping your teeth in maximum comfort, function and esthetics for your entire lifetime depends on you.  Seeing and addressing the signs and symptoms of the disease processes that work against that goal depends on your dentists care and expertise.  Together you can be an unbeatable team that keeps occlusion (your bite) working for your health and not against it.  Have a nice dinner!