How can I tell I've got a bite problem?
You may catch yourself clenching or grinding your teeth, although most people aren't aware of it. We find many patients clench or grind in their sleep, often as a result of stress or anxiety. If you wake with a tired or stiff jaw in the morning, suffer from frequent head, neck or facial pain, or have teeth that feel tender, you probably have a bite problem. Patients who have had teeth removed, or a large number of fillings may also find their bite has become unbalanced, creating uneven pressure on the teeth. It is likely that they will have a bite problem, too

The Benefits of Treatment

Damage to your muscles & jaw joint
If you have a clenching, grinding or chewing habit you can put excessive strain on the TMJ mechanism, making the muscles work much harder and become tired. This leads to muscle spasm. The main symptoms are frequent headaches or migraine - especially first thing in the morning; pain behind the eyes; sinus pain and pains in your neck and shoulders; clicking or locking of the jaw.

Damage to your gums
If you do not have a balanced occlusion, these bad habits can also put strain on the supporting bone around the teeth. It can lead to gum recession and sensitivity and ultimately loosen them. People who also have a history of gum disease may even lose their teeth because of this.

Damage to your teeth
Finally, the teeth themselves can be affected. They can wear down and become flatter or shorter than they should be (we call this premature ageing), or they may be prone to fractures and sensitivity on biting.

The TMJ
Correcting a bad bite allows you to take the strain off the TMJ and its associated muscles. People become significantly free of pain, feel more relaxed, chew with ease and may find their jaw clicks less. This treatment can also complement osteopathic, chiropractic or physiotherapy for other neck or back problems.

The Gums
The bone around your teeth is a precious commodity. We now expect to keep our teeth well into old age, perhaps 30 - 50 years longer than our grandparents. Balancing your bite improves the chances of you maintaining enough bone to keep you enjoying your food to the very end!

The Teeth
Teeth become shorter as we get older as a result of natural wear and tear. People with bite problems may find their teeth wearing down at a much faster rate giving them a smile that looks older than they deserve. Preventing this wear helps you to maintain a youthful looking smile.

Bad bite can also make teeth, fillings and crowns crack more easily. Correcting your bite can add years of life to your teeth and dental work.

Treatment At Gorse Covert Dental Practice
We don't do any treatment until we've taken the time to do a complete and thorough examination. This normally lasts an hour and involves an analysis your teeth, gums, jaw joint mechanism, up to 22 muscles of the head and neck and finally how your upper and lower teeth work together (your occlusion).

We often take models of your teeth and mount them on a special jig called an articulator, which allows the dentist to study your occlusion in great detail. Sometimes special scanning x-rays are needed. Following the examination, a precise diagnosis of your problem can be made and a treatment plan developed.

Some dentists will begin to correct a bad bite by immediately adjusting the shape of your teeth. This would be irreversible treatment. We strongly believe that we should not give you irreversible treatment until we are sure that we have improved your symptoms and that you like the new bite. That means that we have to provide you with reversible treatment in the first instance. We provide patients with a hard acrylic bite guard or Tanner appliance. This usually fits snugly over the bottom teeth.

The Tanner appliance is carefully constructed to each individual and adjusted down to fractions of a millimetre, so that you have an ideal bite. The appliance is normally worn at night. It will need adjusting every few weeks as the muscles and joints heal, changing the lower jaw position. Over a period of a few months, we normally expect people's pain to significantly reduce, wear and fractures to stop and loose teeth may even become firm.

Some patients are advised to take nutritional supplements to improve joint and muscle healing. Additional treatment from a specially trained osteopath, chiropractor or physiotherapist, or other specially selected health professional may also be advised. We encourage you to eat sensibly to avoid stressing the joint.

Some patients may benefit form relaxation or counselling to help them become aware of stressful situations and control them.

Following successful completion of the appliance phase, we have two options to consider.
1.We can keep to your original bite, wearing the Tanner appliance on an occasional basis if pain symptoms return. This is obviously the simplest option, but will not eliminate the stress on your teeth, gums or jaw. At best, this will be a 'holding' phase and should be carefully monitored.
2. We can assess your teeth with a view to altering your own bite to match that provided on the appliance. Usually this means subtly reshaping the direction and position of the slopes that guide your teeth together to create the perfect bite. This process is called 'equilibration'. Sometimes missing or broken down teeth need to be replaced or teeth straightened with braces. Very occasionally, jaw surgery is required to allow your teeth and jaws to work in harmony.

Most treatment is complete within 8 months with 4-5 adjustment visits. More difficult or long-standing problems can take longer. Occasionally it corrects immediately!

Our Success Rate
A recent clinical audit of 50 consecutive cases carried out at Gorse Covert Dental Practice showed 80% of patients experienced a significant improvement in their symptoms as a result of appliance therapy. Many were delighted with the comfort and relaxation a balanced bite can bring and have recommended it to their friends and family. Several patients were able to come off their daily diet of strong painkillers for the first time in years.

It is impossible to guarantee 100% success for any clinical procedure at the start of treatment - especially in a field as complex as bite. That is why we are so keen on using a reversible technique in the first instance, which does no permanent harm if it doesn't work for you. At the very least, we know that we can protect your teeth and supporting bone from the stress of excessive wear and tear.

Patients with Chronic Pain
We see some patients on referral for chronic pain conditions; that is, pain that has been present for at least 6 months longer than the original injury would normally take to heal. This can often mean patients feeling pain for several years.

When a person has been suffering pain for this length of time, research has shown that the 'higher centres' of the brain can also become involved in the problem. These 'higher centres' are linked to the experience of emotions, such as depression. Sometimes treating the original cause of the pain (with a splint, physio, etc.) is not enough. We also need to address the 'higher centre' problem as well. In this case, the short-term use of mild antidepressants may be helpful. These drugs are often used to relax muscles. Consideration can also be given to working with an experienced counsellor.

We work very hard to give our patients the most up-to-date care. However, chronic pain is a very complex area of medicine and we cannot guarantee 100% success in every case. We can guarantee that we will give you our full attention, listen very carefully and work with you to help you overcome the pain problem.