A Dysfunctional Bite May Lead to Discomfort, Now or Later
When was the last time you had a day where you didn’t have some sort of discomfort either in your neck or your head, almost like a migraine? Is jaw pain keeping you from living the life you want?
Like so many other patients who we see at Jackson Dental, in Belle Fourche, you could have issues with a misaligned jaw or malocclusion. A dysfunctional bite may be due to trauma, tooth interferences, clenching/grinding, TMJ, or myofunctional problems.
What Are Occlusal Records?
Occlusal Analysis – Did you know you don’t bite the same way each time? To analyze your functional bite, a doctor needs to view your multiple bites by mimicking your muscles teeth, and joints on a model.
Oral/Facial Photographic Images – Time to Smile! No, it’s not a glamour shoot, but specific photos are needed to review what you like and don’t like, what works and what doesn’t work.
3D Cone Beam X-ray – The most thorough radiograph in dentistry is taken to evaluate your joint, airway space, sinuses, and teeth. Thorough dentistry starts with a thorough diagnosis.
Diagnostic Casts – Not the old school goop! We use advanced technology to digitally scan your arch to print a life-like model of you.
Types of Treatments
Customized orthotics are derived from your functional bite analysis, otherwise known as occlusal records. Splints are useful for both dental occlusion and temporomandibular disorder (TMD). How long you undergo splint therapy is uniquely dependent on your individual dental needs. Splint Therapy and Occlusal Guards are not meant to be permanent treatment options, they are meant to be utilized until you decide which treatment option is best for you.
Often misalignment requires actively moving the teeth and jaw.
Muscles are often the culprit of orofacial pain or bite dysfunction. Through neuromuscular retraining, the muscles relax and pain decreases.
