I will be going to the orthodonist on Wednesday to talk about getting braces, but I'm scared because I have a major open bite and TMJ problem. I'm scared because I dont want to have my jaw broken. Got any advice for me?
July 29, 2009
Answer: Braces and possible jaw surgery can help The major problem with anterior openbites is only your back teeth are coming together. This can cause some excessive wearing of you back teeth and pressure in you Temporo-mandibular joint leading to pain and discomfort. If your openbite is severe and related to excessive vertical development of the upper jaw, braces in conjunction with an upper jaw impaction can help to close the bite and bring your front teeth together. If the openbite is not a jaw issue, but rather an issue with a forward positioning of your tongue during swallowing, than braces in conjunction with myofunctional therapy to eliminate tongue thrusting can also close the bite together. I do not have your records, but my gut feeling is you do have a skeletal issue in combination with anterior tongue thrusting and both would need to be addressed during treatment. There are no guarantees that either treatment will eliminate your TMD symptoms, because there are others who have the same issue and display no symptoms. However, in your case, there is a good chance this will improve your symptoms. Remember, that stress is one of the many contributors to TMD symptoms and not necessarily bites. I recommend you see an orthodontist and oral surgeon who both are well experienced in orthognathic surgery.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
July 29, 2009
Answer: Braces and possible jaw surgery can help The major problem with anterior openbites is only your back teeth are coming together. This can cause some excessive wearing of you back teeth and pressure in you Temporo-mandibular joint leading to pain and discomfort. If your openbite is severe and related to excessive vertical development of the upper jaw, braces in conjunction with an upper jaw impaction can help to close the bite and bring your front teeth together. If the openbite is not a jaw issue, but rather an issue with a forward positioning of your tongue during swallowing, than braces in conjunction with myofunctional therapy to eliminate tongue thrusting can also close the bite together. I do not have your records, but my gut feeling is you do have a skeletal issue in combination with anterior tongue thrusting and both would need to be addressed during treatment. There are no guarantees that either treatment will eliminate your TMD symptoms, because there are others who have the same issue and display no symptoms. However, in your case, there is a good chance this will improve your symptoms. Remember, that stress is one of the many contributors to TMD symptoms and not necessarily bites. I recommend you see an orthodontist and oral surgeon who both are well experienced in orthognathic surgery.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful