Bite Disorders- The Master Disguiser

People come to see us for a lot of different reasons but almost no one comes in asking about headaches, muffled hearing, dizziness, or neck pain. That’s too bad, because more often than you might think those painful and disturbing conditions are caused by a problem in your mouth. It’s called Occlusal or bite disorders and it simply means your teeth don’t line up quite correctly.

When that happens it can affect the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) – the complex arrangement of muscles, tendons and bones directly in front of your ear that lets you move your jaw so you can eat, talk and yawn.

Not What it Looks Like

Problems with this important joint can masquerade as all sorts of other conditions. For example:

· About 80% of patients with TMJ problems
experience headaches, and about 40%
have facial pain.

· Another 40% suffer from mild but uncomfortable
dizziness.

· Approximately 50% have ear pain without
the normal signs of ear infections.

· About 33% have a different problem with
their ears – a feeling that they are clogged or
full and that sounds are muffled. And another 33%
experience a ringing in their ears called tinnitus.

·Other common symptoms include grinding, popping
and clicking sounds in the jaw, toothaches, neck pain,
swelling on one side of the face and shoulder pain.

Bottom line, with all those different symptoms, it’s no surprise that people think their problems are caused by almost anything except the real issue.

Follow the Clues

The best thing you can do if you’re dealing with problems that might be caused by an occlusal disorder is tell us your symptoms. Checking for bite disorders is a simple, painless process and if we determine that your bite is causing or contributing to your problem, a simple bite adjustment and/or a specially designed night-time device may give you the relief you’ve been looking for. We need to distinguish whether you grind your teeth during sleep or clench because the design of the devices is different! Sometimes, it’s necessary to do Invisalign orthodontics to align your bite properly.

If you now think that your bite is behind your mystery condition, give us a call.

For more information, you can contact Dr. Michael Krochak at

drk@nycsmilespa.com

NYC Smile Spa

30 E. 60th St., Rm 1201

New York, NY 10022

(212) 838-2900

Relax and smile!