Your jaw is one of the unsung heroes in your body that most people tend to ignore. This is part that holds your teeth together, thus giving you a pleasant smile that you deserve. Like any other part of the body, your jaw may have a malfunctioning problem, such as misalignment. This is the situation where you find that the lower and upper teeth do not meet as they should.
Some of the common types of jaw misalignments are underbite or overbite. An underbite, the lower teeth sit in front of the upper teeth while in an overbite, the upper teeth protrude. Knowing the common symptoms and treatment process of misaligned jaws will help you handle the problem in a better way. Here are some of these common symptoms and the treatment process.
Symptoms of A Misaligned Jaw
The signs that you have when you need a misaligned jaw fix are similar to those of other jaw problems, such as dislocation, among others. They include:
- Pain in the jaw joint areas
- Popping in the ear
- Pain on the back or in the shoulder
- Pain in the temple
- Pain in the jaw joint area
- Having a tight jaw
- Pain when moving the jaw, for instance when chewing or opening the mouth
- Stiffness of the jaw
- Jaw moving to one side when opening it
- Numbness of the face
- Having dislodged teeth
Other signs that you may observe in the event of misaligned jaws are such as:
- Difficulties in speech, which could include a lisp
- Abnormal alignment of teeth
- An Unusual appearance of the face
Causes and Treatment of Misaligned Jaws
By understanding the reason for the misaligned jaw, it is possible to tell the best treatment. Below is more information about the causes and treatment of uneven jaw.
Congenital Disabilities
More often than not, most of the people with misaligned jaws are born with the condition. For instance, one may have a naturally crooked jaw, which is commonly referred to as a faulty jaw. To correct the broken jaw, your dentist may recommend surgery. Additionally, you can adjust the situation through supportive care or making some lifestyle changes.
Broken Jaw or Trauma
After you have had an accident such as assault, accident, or fall, among others, this may result in trauma. The trauma could later lead to a dislocated or misaligned jaw. For this reason, if the misalignment you could through the trauma was minor, it could heal on its own. However, in the event of a significant misalignment, surgery may be recommended to help in misaligned jaw fix.
Misalignment of Teeth
When your teeth are misaligned, this more often than not leads to the misalignment of jaws. This is because the misaligned teeth prevent the teeth from settling on the position where it should be. Problems with teeth alignment can be corrected through the use of retainers or braces. However, this could take up to eighteen months before you get the results. The time taken to resolve the problem could extend in case of a more complicated situation.
More often than not, most people pay little attention to their jaws until there is a defect that needs medical care. However, most of these problems can be easily solved when discovered earlier. Above are some of the symptoms of a misaligned jaw and the treatment methods.
