Has a dentist ever told you that your bite was perfect, but you find yourself struggling with symptoms such as pain, stiffness and feeling like your jaw is going to lock? You may be wondering if you can have a perfect bite but still have jaw or teeth problems? The fact of the matter is that, yes, you can.
You can have straight front teeth, and your back teeth can fit together as intended to get that perfect bite and smile, but what you may not realize is that the muscles that surround your jaw are overworked and stretched to their limit to make it happen.
When these muscles are strained, they push and pull on the temporomandibular joints (TMJs) and contribute to the development of temporomandibular joint disorder.
The Problem with Conventional Treatments
Conventional orthodontic treatment focus on smile aesthetic, such as making sure the midlines of the top and bottom front teeth are aligned and moving teeth to fit them together. Sometimes these manipulations and movements may seem like small changes but have a significant impact, such as:
- Pain or tenderness in the jaw in one or both TMJ
- Pain in and around your ear
- Feeling of “fullness” in the ear
- Pain or difficulty when chewingÂ
- Unexplained facial pain
- Locking of the jaw joints
- Difficulty opening or closing your mouth
- Pain in the neck and shoulders
If there is stress on your jaw joints, it can also contribute to subconscious grinding or clenching of your teeth, too. This is because your jaws are working to find their natural position, versus the position they were forced into by conventional orthodontics.
Tooth clenching and grinding can damage your teeth, cause fractures and leave you with tooth sensitivity.
These after-effects of orthodontic treatments can be very frustrating. It’s understandable; getting a great-looking smile can be expensive and take many years. But, at the end of the day, if you have a beautiful smile and a lot of pain because of it, are you better off?
Dr. Koning can help you achieve the smile you want, but with consideration of your bite and your jaw – to keep it healthy and keep you out of pain.
If you’re living with the painful symptoms of TMJÂ after years of conventional orthodontics and other treatments, don’t worry. Dr. Konig can help. Give us a call at 713-668-2289 now to schedule your consultation.
