Have you noticed pain and discomfort in your jaw? Does your TMJ click or pop? Have you noticed that your teeth are wearing or becoming shorter? Does your spouse tell you that you grind your teeth at night?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could be showing signs of occlusal disease.
Occlusal disease is caused by an imbalance in how your teeth meet. With this imbalance or interference, our bodies try and rub or grind it smooth, which causes the wear and destruction of all of our teeth. Dr. Sara Michel has been working with the Dawson Institute, studying the causes and cures of occlusal disease. Call to set up an appointment with her to discuss your concerns.
If a person has some mild discomfort in thier muscle of mastication (the muscles we use to chew with) there could be other contributing factors other than an occlusal imbalance. Soreness of the jaw muscles can be cause by excessive caffeine, sleeping on your stomach, chewing too much stick chew foods, such as bagels. Not chewing food evenly on both side of the mouth could also be a cause. Some hints at relieving the symptoms of discomfort include: moist heat compresses, ibuprofen, softer diet, and less caffeine.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, feel free to call us at Dalseth Family and Cosmetic Dentistry.
– Dr. Pascal
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