4 Medical Conditions Improved By Repairing Improper Bite Alignment

A significant misalignment of your upper and lower jaws results in a condition called an over or under bite. In addition to making it difficult to talk and eat, bite problems can also contribute to the development of distressing medical issues. The bite issues often evolve as the teeth and jaw grow throughout childhood and the teenage years. Upon reaching adulthood, you will likely start to notice symptoms associated with a bad bite. Here are four conditions that often necessitate the repair of incorrect bite alignment to end the painful, debilitating symptoms.

TMJ

The temporomandibular joint holds the upper and lower jaws together while allowing a full range of movement. If you have misaligned upper and lower jaws, considerable stress on the joint could impede its movements and stretch the associated ligaments.

The stretched ligaments eventually cause severe pain and inflammation in the joint, which further impedes movement. If you're seriously affected by this affliction, you might find it difficult to eat, drink or talk freely. Thankfully, you can have your bite alignment adjusted to reduce stress on the jaw joint, relieving pain and discomfort over time.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

If you have constant pain in your face, which does not seem to be related to the jaw joint, your doctor will likely suspect trigeminal neuralgia as the culprit. Trigeminal neuralgia is the impediment of the cranial nerves that run through your neck, head and face to send sensation perceptions to the brain. Bite alignment issues can crush the nerves and cause pain signals to fire constantly.

Once the nerves become agitated, patients may have a hard time performing care routines that require touching the facial region. In fact, this condition is so painful that even smiling is often out of the question. A cosmetic dentist can pull the jaw back into alignment in an effort to free the pinched nerves and end the pain signals.

Migraines

Migraine headaches can have a number of causes ranging from hormones and environmental factors to stress and bite alignment problems. Anything that causes extreme muscle tightness, fatigue or strain in the head or neck encourages the development of migraines. Once the migraines start, it's often quite difficult to stop the pain and discomfort in its tracks.

Extremely painful migraines associated with bite alignment issues often originate on both sides of the head at the same time. Furthermore, the migraines may cause nausea and vomiting that instantly worsens the pain as jaw movement stresses the muscles in the neck and head. Moving the upper and lower jaw into the right place reduces stress on the muscles, which often allows the migraines to dissipate on their own.

Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea happens when the tongue or throat closes off the airway enough to cause loud snoring. The snoring could even worsen and lead to lengthy pauses in breathing patterns during sleep. Since your anatomical structure greatly contributes to the development of obstructive sleep apnea, it makes sense that severe bite misalignments could play a role.

Cosmetic dentists can pull the jaws into alignment to keep the soft structures in your mouth from blocking your airway. Surgically pulling the lower jaw forward has the greatest effect in eliminating symptoms of sleep apnea.  

Finding The Best Treatment Option

You can work with a cosmetic dentist like Park Ridge Dental Associates to find the perfect treatment option for your bite type and severity. If caught early enough, cosmetic dentists can often use spacers to realign your teeth in a slow, deliberate manner. Otherwise, you may need to wear braces or even go through surgery to fix your bite problems. After recovering from the procedures, you should instantly notice a reduction in symptoms that were previously causing you distress. If not, you can discuss further treatment options with you cosmetic dentist to make a full recovery.