Bite & Jaw Joint Treatment at Dr. Elston Wong Dentistry
Get relief from jaw and bite pain
Joint and jaw pains are now recognized to be a bio-psycho-social problem, but do not enjoy unanimous understanding across dentistry, let alone the wildly differing approaches and opinions in the worlds of physiotherapy, oral medicine and pain, neurology, and chiropractic just to name a few! The reality is that if health care understood jaw joint and bite problems, there would not be such a divergence of opinions. As such, the solutions that we present here are the result of our own education bias.
How do I know I have a jaw or bite problem?
The short answer is, you often don’t! Bite and jaw issues can manifest in many different ways:
- clicking or grinding noises emanating from your jaw joints
- wearing down of teeth (not from grinding)
- breaking or chipping apart of teeth, fillings, or crowns for no good reason
- joint pains, headaches, ringing in the ears
- a feeling of an uncomfortable bite position
- a feeling of an uncomfortable bite position
- an inability to find a single “home” position for your bite
- a need to squeeze your teeth to make them fit together
- an uneven bite where one side hits heavier than the other
What can be done to treat bite problems?
We don’t treat at the first sign of bite irregularities – there must be a reason to intervene, such as an uncomfortable bite, unevenness, wear / fractures or inadequate space for the jaw to chew comfortably. The ultimate goal would be to achieve a simultaneous equal-intensity bite on both sides of the back teeth, and how we get there varies from person to person. It may be something as simple as minor orthodontics, adjustment by taking down high spots, or a combination treatment involving orthodontics, bite adjustment, fillings, crowns, or even airway treatment! Everyone’s different, so the treatment must be customized to the individual.
Fast facts
Most jaw pains are muscle-related. Only about 10% are joint-related.
Worn-down teeth are not always the result of nighttime grinding.
People often make do with an off-centre bite, thinking their jaw discomfort is untreatable.
Airway concerns such as sleep apnea can make jaw issues worse.
The process
Step One
Upon determining there is a bite component to your discomfort, we begin with jaw deprogramming. This 3-week stretch involves wearing a retainer-like appliance allowing your jaw to find a more comfortable position.
Step Two
If symptoms disappear, we know the new jaw position is beneficial! We then determine the best way for your jaw to stay in position without an appliance through orthodontics, bite adjustment, airway management or restorative treatment.
Step Three
We adjust tooth anatomy or positions so that there’s proper tooth-to-tooth contact. While this is not always curative, the goal is for “less pain”. By first taking a “test drive” of a new bite, we can expect evidence that your jaw will feel better after the change!
Let the results speak for themselves
Looking for real life transformations? Take a look at some before and after examples.
Try our virtual smile simulation
Bite & Jaw Joint FAQs
What are some symptoms of Bite & Jaw Joint disorder?
Sometimes the only signs of a bite disorder is uneven wear or chipping of teeth. At other times, symptoms such as an uncomfortable bite position, uneven bite, jaw fatigue with tough foods. It’s important to distinguish historical from current breakdown, because a common mistake made by dentists is to assume that what happened in the past is still occurring now.
What causes bite and jaw joint disorders?
If we knew the full answer to this question, we’d be super rich. Currently, the theory is that it is a bio-psycho-social disorder, which means that a strictly anatomical approach to treatment may not solve all the problems. Given two people with the same jaw/bite condition, one person may experience problems due to factors such as adaptive capacity, stress, and other underlying conditions. Sleep/airway issues are often involved, so current management may mean hitting things from several angles and likely several different disciplines as well!
What treatment options are available for a bite and jaw joint disorder?
What we can offer here would be to address bite issues that ultimately provide patients with a bite that hits evenly on both sides at the same time with equal pressure, but this can also involve orthodontics (either done in-house or by an orthodontist), airway treatment such as myofunctional therapy (available in-house) and obstructive sleep apnea management, physiotherapy (definitely not in-house), and others such as neurology and pain specialists. Confusing? Yup. This is not a settled science, and there are probably as many treatment modalities as there are people treating it.
