Life with a misaligned jaw can be incredibly trying. There is a lot that can go wrong and a lot the you may have to deal with on a day to day basis. However, you do not have to live that way. There is a wide range of treatment solutions to remedy even the severest of problems. You do not have to live in pain or shame.

What Does a Misaligned Jaw Involve?

While many people do not have to deal with this problem, it is not uncommon for your teeth to not quite match each other and rest comfortably. This is due to a misalignment in your jaw. There are two very common varieties of this malocclusion and those are the and the underbite. In an overbite, the upper jaw protrudes, while in an underbite, the lower does. A misaligned jaw can spell trouble no matter which variety you happen to fall under. Their treatment processes tend to be long, but the results are lasting and incredible.

Problems Associated with a Misaligned Jaw

A misaligned jaw can start a large variety of issues. Which of these issues you suffer from is entirely dependent on your individual case. As a general rule of thumb, though, there are some general issues that you may suffer from. The first is pain. This pain is not just in your jaw, but can absolutely start there. You may experience pain or difficulty when it comes to chewing, biting, or swallowing food. You may also experience chronic pain from your jaw or temporomandibular joint. Misaligned jaws can also lead to chronic headaches that will not fade. You may even notice a clicking sound when you open or close your mouth from your jaw joint rubbing where it was not designed to.

Your teeth can also be severely adversely affected by a misaligned jaw. You may experience excessive wear and tear on your teeth and may lose tooth enamel. You can crack, chip, or damage your teeth simply because they sit or strike together in a way that they were not supposed to. In fact, your teeth may not even sit together when you close your mouth if the damage is too far gone. This can cause your lips to strain to meet, or not meet at all.

A misaligned jaw can cause a lot of cosmetic damage too. You may notice a mild or severe unbalanced appearance when looking at your face from the front or profile view. This can be incredibly detrimental when considering a patient’s self-esteem and confidence. While it can cause a lot of internal damage, a misaligned jaw can also cause emotional trauma as well. You may find yourself breathing heavily from your mouth rather than being able to do it from your nose. It can also make you more prone to facial injury, which can make the damage more prominent or problematic.

Where Does a Misaligned Jaw Come From?

A misaligned jaw can come from a wide range of previous issues or developmental problems. Your malocclusion can come from tooth damage over time from years of neglect or injury. It can also be affected by loose or lost teeth. This can lead to a damaged jaw bone, but over time can also lead to bone loss. This warps the shape of your bones which can become evident outside of your mouth as well. Bone damage of this sort can also cause damage to the muscles of your mouth and jaw.

A misaligned jaw can come from developmental factors as well, such as your use of a pacifier or bottle as an infant. If you sucked your thumb, even, you exerted a forging pressure on an area without resistance and could affect its growth outcome. However, it could also be from factors entirely out of your control. If the disk in one of the joints of your jaw happens to slip, you may have a lopsided (and painful) jaw. No matter the issue, you should always get a misaligned jaw taken care of as quickly as you can.

Treatment Options

Treating a misaligned jaw is a very individual experience. No two jaws are alike. For some, standard orthodontic braces are enough to get everything back in tip top shape. These are most commonly used with an overbite. Headgear could also help, which can gradually shift either jaw depending on what you need done specifically.

There is also the option of an upper jaw expander which can help your upper jaw resize in just the right way that your lower jaw can fit against it properly. A reverse pull face mask can help to pull your lower jaw forward if you have a more severe underbite. If you have a misaligned jaw, some things that may help also include cosmetic surgery that can help to heal and disguise the damage, both in and out of your mouth. A misaligned jaw can also benefit from jaw surgery on whichever jaw (or both) that is causing the brunt of the damage.

For more information on treatment options, call Mark Levy, DDS today at (613) 777-7350 and find out more about what we can do to help your misaligned jaw.