If you often have headaches or facial pain, you might not think your bite could be the cause. But at Dr. Tom Trinkner’s dental practice in Columbia, SC, we often see patients whose bite issues are linked to these discomforts. Learning how bite problems can lead to headaches and facial pain may help you find the right treatment.
What is Bite Misalignment?
Bite misalignment happens when your upper and lower teeth don’t line up the way they should. When the teeth don’t meet correctly, it puts strain on your jaw and facial muscles, which can lead to ongoing pain in your head and face.
Dr. Trinkner looks for the specific causes of each patient’s bite issues to create a treatment plan that works best for them. Several factors can cause a bite to be misaligned, including:
- Crooked or Missing Teeth: When teeth are crooked or overlap, your bite can become uneven, putting extra pressure on certain teeth. Missing teeth can also shift nearby teeth out of place, causing alignment issues.
- Jaw Injuries: If you’ve had an injury to your jaw, it may have shifted out of its natural position. This shift can make your bite uneven, which may lead to pain over time.
- Poorly Fitting Dental Work: Dental treatments like crowns, bridges, or dentures should fit well. If they don’t, they can throw off your bite, which can lead to pain.
Signs of Bite Misalignment
Knowing the signs of a bite problem can help you seek help before it gets worse. Dr. Trinkner encourages patients to look for these common symptoms:
- Headaches: Misaligned bites can cause tension in your jaw and face muscles, which often leads to headaches. You might feel pain around your temples or the back of your head, especially after chewing.
- Jaw Pain: Bite issues often bring jaw pain, which can range from mild to severe. This can make it hard to open and close your mouth without discomfort.
- Facial Muscle Pain: The muscles in your face can get overworked due to a bad bite, leading to pain around your cheeks and jawline.
- Clicking or Popping in the Jaw Joints: You may notice a clicking or popping sound when you open or close your jaw. This is often a sign that your jaw joints are not in the right place, which is common with bite misalignment.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Getting a proper diagnosis and treatment can relieve the pain caused by bite problems. Dr. Tom Trinkner offers detailed exams and custom treatments for his patients to address these issues.
- Dental Exam: Dr. Trinkner will do a complete dental exam to check your teeth and jaw alignment. This exam may include X-rays and bite analysis to find the exact cause of the problem.
- Bite Adjustment: A bite adjustment involves reshaping the biting surfaces of your teeth to improve alignment. This helps your teeth come together more evenly.
- Orthodontic Treatment: Braces or clear aligners are often used to move teeth into better positions. Gradually shifting teeth to their proper places can help reduce the pain linked to misaligned bites.
- Jaw Exercises: Dr. Trinkner may suggest certain exercises to stretch and strengthen your jaw muscles. These exercises can help ease pain and improve how your jaw moves.
Understanding the link between your bite and pain can lead you to treatment options that improve both your comfort and your overall dental health.