Are you aware that bite problems (malocclusion or occlusal disease) are the only cause of TMJ dysfunction (unless you have had head trauma)? Or that bite problems are responsible for gum recession, wear, many headaches and migraines, abfractions, and bone loss?

Bite Problems and Occlusal Disease
Unfortunately, unless you have those hollowed out areas at the gum line that you can put your fingernails into (abfractions), visible wear on your teeth, or popping, clicking, or grinding noises in your jaw joint, chances are that your dentist will not find the underlying cause. Dentists not trained in the treatment of occlusal disease routinely attribute wear, recession, and abfractions to either grinding or clenching or brushing too hard. The treatment prescribed is either a nightguard or a softer brush. However, neither of these are cures.

A nightguard will only keep the teeth from touching at night while the clenching and grinding is done on the plastic appliance rather than the teeth. Most importantly, if the nightguard is not balanced properly, it can cause a similar effect as an unstable bite on the teeth. And while a softer brush might feel better at the gum line especially when someone has sensitive teeth, NEITHER of these will eliminate the cause. So, gums keep receding, abfractions (ditches) keep losing more tooth and root, wear accelerates, and the problem continues.

Bite problems occur when our bodies have to accommodate to teeth that have not come into proper alignment; teeth that are not hitting the opposing tooth properly; grinding or clenching at night; a chewing or wear pattern that causes the wrong teeth or the wrong parts of teeth to wear as we function; or an unfelt anatomical difference between the lower and upper jaws.

The results are forces on the teeth that we cannot feel but, over time, are destructive to the teeth, muscles, ligaments, and jaw joint. These forces can cause toothaches, loose teeth, bone loss, sensitive teeth, neck pain, facial pain, ear problems, and headaches. In fact, one of the most missed diagnoses is a bite or jaw problem which is at the root of the muscle spasm triggers for many of those with migraines and muscle tension headaches.

What happens when someone has occlusal disease?