Having your jaw be out of alignment can be painful and damaging to the jaw and surrounding area. Unfortunately, many people are unaware that their jaw is misaligned, even when they experience the painful symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).
Below I’ve outlined three of the ways your jaw can become out of alignment.
Teeth Grinding and Clenching
Though grinding and clenching our teeth can happen as a source of stress and anxiety or even when we’re asleep, it can cause wear on the jaw joint and lead to a shift in the jaw that leaves you with an uneven bite.
Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction
Removing teeth from the bones of your jaw can cause an unwanted shift in your dental bite. You may experience stretching of the cartilage in the “ball and socket” joint that allows us to open and close our mouths.
Trauma to the Face
Perhaps one of the most aggressive ways a jaw can become unaligned, experiencing any sort of trauma to the face, can easily knock your jawbone off-kilter. Two of the most common traumas are automobile accidents or sports injuries.
Any of the above problems should be carefully diagnosed, properly treated and given the best follow up care. If you think your jaw could be out of alignment and are perhaps experiencing the symptoms, please contact our St. Louis, Missouri cosmetic dentistry practice or come in for a visit so that we work on your issues and get things back to the way they should be.
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