TMJ Information

Many people today are aware of Jaw & Bite pain problems, caused by the Temporomandibular Joints. Your TMJ are actually two sets of muscles, one on each side of the skull behind the ears, that connect the lower jaw to the skull.
When your teeth, muscles and jaws work together correctly, the teeth do not wear out and your facial muscles and jaw joint are comfortable. Patient comfort is our main concern. Dr. A.J. Boyajian is dedicated to repairing teeth with a focus on maintaining Jaw and Bite health.
For more information on Jaw and Bite health and other services provided in our office, please call and schedule an appointment with Dr. Boyajian in Westchester, CA.

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Dental Bite Analysis Overview

How is an occlusal analysis performed, exactly, and what is involved in the process?

Well, first, a mold of your teeth is taken so an accurate plaster or stone model of your bite can be examined. Using what’s called a facebow transfer, the dentist will find the center of your jaw joint’s rotation, and then take measurements to see how it relates to your upper jaw.

Imprints of your teeth are then taken for a bite registration. A bite registration shows the dentist how your teeth come together when you are biting down completely. Also, the pattern of your jaw’s movement when chewing is unique to every individual. This pattern is also recorded.

There is a device called an articulator that a dentist uses to view your exact bite without having to use your head (which translates into countless hours in a dentist’s chair for you, the patient). It looks like this. The models previously made of your teeth are installed into the articulator, along with all the measurements of your jaw’s exact movements and how your teeth come together when you bite down.

After some examination (and long after your appointment is finished and you’ve driven home in time for dinner, don’t worry), the dentist will do some analyzing and will determine what is causing problems with your bite. Is it a TMJ disorder? Are crowns that were formed years ago getting in the way of proper chewing? What needs to be done in order to make the next procedure(s) successful?

Your dentist will be able to tinker with the articulator and find the ideal form of chewing system for you. A wax model will be made, and your dentist will move towards making these changes before moving on to the aforesaid procedure(s).

And, voila! Not only will you have some super treatment coming your way, but you’ll be comfortable knowing that your entire chewing system will be working the way it is supposed to.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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When Should An Occlusal Analysis Be Done?

The occlusal analysis, when getting ready to perform any kind of orthodontic surgery, is crucial for a dentist or orthodontist to make the best possible choices for your oral health; a substantial number of problems are avoided when we know to not move a tooth in a certain direction, or design a mouthguard that will tire the jaw in an unhealthy manner. This is comprehensive dentistry; everything works together, and everything is related! An occlusal analysis is absolutely necessary before any of the following procedures:

  • Crown, bridge, denture, or implant treatment
  • Fabrication of a bite guard
  • Orthodontic treatment (an occlusal analysis should be performed after this as well)
  • Any other time a poor bite is suspected. Pay attention to symptoms like worn, chipped, or broken teeth; gum sensitivity and/or recession; pain in facial muscles; and other symptoms similar to prolonged gum disease, such as loose teeth, bone loss, and even tooth loss.

As a small side note, gum disease can, in fact, be evidence of a poor bite. But that’s a topic for another day.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

Dental Occlusal Analysis

“Occlusal” is basically a fancy, dental-scientific word for “bite.” I have mentioned occlusal (bite) analysis in an earlier post, but if you don’t remember it, I shall reiterate:

Occlusal analysis takes a look at your bite, your entire chewing system, comprehensively observing, recording, and adjusting small areas where your bite can reach its full effective, comfortable, and long-lasting potential. This approach — analyzing the whole mouth, jaw, teeth, and their movements — is far superior to adjusting each individual tooth. Adjusting the individual teeth can lead to painful jaw malfunctions and TMJ disorders over time because of prolonged crooked movement (slight though it may be) and repetitive clenching or grinding.

Does your dentist give occlusal analyses? Should you go in for one?

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

 

You, Your Bite and Occlusal Disease

Occlusal disease is the fancy name for “bite disease”. What? How does one’s bite become diseased, you ask? Well, there are three types of bad things that can happen to your teeth: decay (cavities), gum disease, and bite disease. We’ve discussed the first two, so here goes occlusal (bite) disease.

Occlusal disease is the condition where your bite — the way your teeth come down onto each other — is uneven, crooked, or misaligned. You may not be able to bite down all the way or chew thoroughly, and your jaw muscles must work harder for these simple tasks. Because of the unevenness, some teeth are worn down faster than others, and further wearing, breaking, or chipping of teeth may occur. The extra work on the jaw muscles also causes pain all around the jaw, mouth, head, and neck. “Aging” teeth may not be aging at all — the wear and tear is because of a bite problem long left untreated. It’s a mess!

Occlusal disease is often hard to spot. Unlike cavities or gum disease, it’s not always visually apparent. What may appear to be a randomly broken tooth could be a more severe underlying problem… and fixing just that one tooth is not going to help if the whole jaw is misaligned.

Dentists trained at The Pankey Institute develop the eyes for recognizing bite problems, making it less of a mystery to solve if one finds himself suffering the symptoms. Much research goes into fixing the problem; casts and models of your teeth are made so the dentist can see where the problem lies and how it can be adjusted (bite analysis). Occlusal disease also ties directly into bioesthetic dentistry and treating TMJ disorders. A simple, non-surgical tweaking of the muscles (most often used with a MAGO, or mouthguard-looking splint that helps “train” the muscles to realign in the correct positions) may very well be the solution to chewing food without harming your skull, and preserving functional, straight teeth well into your later years.

 

Benefits of Bioesthetic Dentistry

(Taken from my website:)

“Bioesthetic dentistry takes the remedial treatment of each tooth to the comprehensive treatment of the entire body. Our diagnosing methodologies show us why you have broken down or worn teeth. Then we provide the means to regain the length, shape and appearance of your teeth, before they became worn or broken down.

“Based on the natural biologic form, Bioesthetic Dentistry works by arranging the teeth to function together with the alignment of the Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ). Recognized world-wide as the “non-surgical face lift”, bioesthetic dentistry affects the eyes, facial muscle posture and overall facial form. The final result is a naturally beautiful smile.

“If you have any of the common complaints listed below, Bioesthetic Dentistry may be what you need.

Migraines
Jaw popping
Worn or cracked teeth
Jaw pain
Unsightly smile
Limited opening of the mouth with restricted range of motion
Unable to chew food properly
Poor digestion
Gum disease with recession of the gums
Sensitive teeth
Tired-looking or -feeling jaw”

Dr. Boyajian, Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

TMJ Symptoms

The holidays are here, and that means lots of goodies are being baked, which means those goodies are being eaten, which means there is lots of chewing going on. Do you have any problems with chewing, biting, or opening/closing your mouth? Are you suffering any neck pain, jaw pain, or unexplained headaches? What about teeth grinding, an uneven bite, or painful chewing? Is your mouth crooked? Do you hear popping or snapping noises when opening or closing your mouth?

Whether your symptoms are subtle or debilitating, pay attention to them and talk to a TMJ specialist to see if anything can be done to fix them. My office is in Westchester, near LAX in the Santa Monica area. If you live anywhere near here, by all means, set up an appointment and we will help you. TMJ problems should never be left untreated; we need our mouths to eat, and therefore live, right? If our mouths are not functioning properly, it can be detrimental to the rest of our good health.

Dr. Boyajian, Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

 

TMJ Disorder & Treatment

Always be paying attention to signs and signals your body gives you. If you’re hungry, eat something nourishing. If you’re tired, get some rest. If you don’t feel well, try to cut out habits that might be detrimental to your health. Make time to take care of yourself.

This includes your dental health as well. If, for some reason, you are in good health but still experience headaches, neck aches, ear pain, jaw pain, jaw clicking/popping/crookedness, bruxing, stiffness or pain while chewing, or any other unexplained symptom in your jaw/neck area, talk to your dentist. You may have TMJ (short for temporomandibular joint…the joint in each side of your jaw) disorder. If your dentist cannot give you very much information, find a TMJ specialist and call him for an examination. TMJ can grow into a severely restricting, delicate problem and is best treated when in the early stages of development. You won’t have to keep swallowing painkillers if the source of the problem is fixed!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

TMJ

TMJ disorder, or TMD (both acronyms for the temporo-mandibular joint….the joint in your jaw), is a common ailment that causes a wide range of symptoms from occasional ear pain or jaw clicking/popping, to major aches in the entire head, tooth wear from frequent bruxing (teeth-grinding), migraines, neck pain, and jaw crookedness or tiredness. I specialize in treating TMJ, so if you think TMJ has been a problem for you, contact me (or another TMJ specialist, if location is a problem). It’s important to find one who treats TMJ bioesthetically, aesthetically, and with the healthiest, most natural options available. Your TMJ disorder will grow worse over time if it’s not taken care of. Don’t wait any longer to prevent problems that are bound to happen!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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Amalgam (Silver Fillings) Removal

(Continued from the previous post:)

Be careful when you have your amalgam filling(s) removed; for several hours the numbness in your face will hinder good judgment on whether your bite feels normal again (when your teeth fit together as you clench down, like normal chewing).

When Dr. Boyajian refills your teeth, a tiny bit of extra filling will stick out above the tooth, and you’ll be able to feel it. He will sand it down to match the rest of your natural tooth’s shape, and check your bite on a piece of film to get rid of any good-bite-blockage. I thought I was good to go, but as “Mrs. Marshmallow Face”, I should have been more careful in determining the status of my bite! Ever so subtly, I can feel just something there that makes my bite go just a bit crooked and it’s not how I remember it. My jaw muscles have also been feeling slightly more tired. Then occasionally I will find myself subconsciously clenching — almost grinding, like my jaw wants to go back to the old way of chewing but can’t find a way. The funny thing is, is that it hardly bothers me at all, but in reality this must be fixed quickly. Even minor adjustments such as this grow into bigger problems. I read and hear about TMJ a lot now, and I’m realizing that this is a way it can start, and I’m thankful I’ve recognized it early! I am going back to the office in a few days to shave off some more of the fillings so my normal bite will return.

If this has ever been your case (maybe you had your fillings removed a long time ago, and you remember not feeling quite normal, but you ignored it and it became the new “normal”), do not wait to have that fixed or at least examined by a dentist! Straying from the natural way your teeth should fit together is terrible for your jaw in the long run. TMJ disorders develop from those “insignificant” bothers, and it’s so important to communicate with your dentist of ANYTHING that wasn’t the way it was before. Granted, it may not always be a negative result, but it is still important to speak up, because the dentist knows a whole lot more about what’s right/wrong in our mouths.

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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Changes Are Coming!

This last weekend, I attended the IAOMT Silver Jubilee Annual Meeting seminars in Las Vegas, NV. I was overwhelmed with the amazing discoveries made lately about mercury-safe dentistry, and some pretty nifty gadgets were introduced. I was like a child in a giant toy store. There was so much to see and learn, and I was able to make some great connections that are going to bring even healthier, more efficient changes into my office. Keep your eyes peeled!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com