Joint and bite problems can include:
- Clicking or grating noises on jaw movement
- Difficulty opening or closing your mouth
- Tenderness or swelling over the joint
- Migraines, headaches usually starts in the morning
- Neck, face and chewing muscle pains which may also be felt in the shoulders
- Ear pain with the possibility of ringing noises
Common causes of these problems are stress and grinding of teeth at
night, which are more apparent nowadays. Careful planning and analysis
is required with treatment designed around your individual needs. Often
an occlusal splint (nightguard) is the first line solution. This is
carefully manufactured and adjusted over a period of time to relax the
muscles and place the jaw joint in a comfortable position.
As soon as the pain disappears a certain amount of restorative and/or
orthodontic treatment may be required as a long term solution to
prevent future problems. A careful treatment plan would depend on the
severity of the initial problem.
