Bite Problems

Headaches and TMJ treatment

Do you suffer from headaches, jaw pain, neck and shoulder pain or experience sinus problems or suffer from teeth grinding or clenching?

These are symptoms that can be resolved at Integrated Dentalcare in Edinburgh. Many patients come to us having suffered from headaches for years, taking pain killers with little or no effect and not realizing that the problem is dental in origin. Often many of these problems arise from malocclusion of your bite which puts unwanted stress on surrounding muscles.

Bruxism

Bruxism is the term used by dentists referring to the act of teeth grinding. This problem can be successfully managed by us.

Teeth grinding occurs mainly whilst one is asleep. Sometimes people are oblivious to the condition until extensive damage has occurred. Symptoms may manifest as headaches, neck tenderness or stiffness (people usually attribute this to posture but it can be caused by a bad bite), migraines, earache, diminished hearing, sinusitis type symptoms, sensitive teeth, teeth chipping, cracking or wearing down; not being able to find a proper bite.

Other external features that are associated with a poor bite wearing the dentition down are that you may undergo an over closure in your bite. This is not an obvious problem as you would probably attribute creases around your mouth and smaller eyes to aging. It is an amazing transformation sometimes to see people appearing ten years younger once a proper bite arrangement has been re-established at the correct vertical height. Not only will your bite feel more harmonious and more efficient but your face will appear more toned creating a more youthful look. What an effective way of achieving a facelift without the surgery.

Although teeth grinding or clenching is not always considered a major predicament, it may give rise to problems, such as mouth, jaw and facial pain. Teeth grinding can also occur because of faulty dental restorations, poor dentistry, missing teeth, ill-fitting partial or full dentures, or teeth prematurely biting together. These problems seem to be on the increase due to the stressful nature of our lifestyles. Thus, it is important to have regular dental check-ups.

Unfortunately the majority of dentists are ill-equipped in the necessary training to successfully resolve these problems. Wei have carried out extensive training and possesses an impressive selection of case studies that we have personally treated.

We will carry out a detailed analysis of your bite, and examine your mouth for premature wear patterns. Study models of your mouth to better observe where your teeth may be hitting prematurely are studied on an artificial jaw, together with a digital x-ray scan and photographs and a state of the art digital bite analyzer called a T-Scan. A review of your previous dental history and a discussion of your long term goals are combined with clinical information, to provide:

>   A discussion on your dental condition.
>  A diagnosis
>  Detailed options and the financial investment for the treatment

Once the ideal result is visualized, through the combination of your criteria and the health needs of your dentition, it becomes necessary to look at the different treatment modalities available to realize the result. Different treatment options are considered and after a process of consultation to explain all the questions which may arise, a plan is settled on and implemented with the secure knowledge that the right treatment is being carried out to achieve the result that you want.

Your treatment may include an NTI appliance or a night time acrylic splint, and in some cases you may need crowns and veneers to re-establish a new bite.

Full mouth rehabilitation, or reconstruction, is one of our main areas of special interest. The treatment may encompass many areas of dentistry such as cosmetic dentistry, bite reprogramming (occlusion), implant dentistry, crown and bridge work, hygiene therapy.

If you suffer from headaches, teeth grinding or any of the above symptoms feel free to contact us for advice.