BITE AND TMJ CARE
Understanding How Your Bite Works.
Your teeth, jaw joints, and muscles work together every time you bite, chew, speak, or swallow. When that system isn’t working comfortably, the effects can show up in different ways.
You may notice jaw discomfort, headaches, worn or chipped teeth, changes in the way your teeth come together, or dental work that repeatedly wears or breaks.
Dr. Farrell takes the time to look beyond the individual symptom and evaluate how the teeth, bite, and jaw function together.
Understanding what’s happening is the first step toward deciding what, if anything, needs to be done.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR BITE
Looking at How Everything Works Together.
Listening to What You’re Experiencing
Jaw discomfort, headaches, changes in your bite, worn teeth, or restorations that keep breaking can provide important clues. Dr. Farrell begins by understanding what you’ve noticed and how long it has been happening.
Dr. Farrell evaluates how your teeth come together and how the jaw functions as a whole. Depending on your needs, this may include detailed examination, digital bite analysis, 3D imaging, or other diagnostic tools to better understand what is happening.
Evaluating the Bite
The goal is to understand whether the bite may be contributing to your symptoms or affecting the health and longevity of your teeth and dental work. From there, Dr. Farrell can explain what he sees and whether treatment may be appropriate.
Connecting the Findings
INDIVIDUALIZED CARE
Treatment Depends on What We Find.
There isn’t one treatment for every bite or jaw concern. The appropriate approach depends on what is contributing to the problem, the condition of your teeth and joints, and what you are experiencing.
Treatment may include a custom splint or nightguard, careful adjustment of how the teeth come together, restorative treatment when teeth have been damaged or worn, or a combination of approaches.
When more comprehensive dental treatment is being considered, understanding the bite can also be an important part of planning restorations that function well together.
The goal is to address the cause when possible, not simply the symptom.
START WITH WHAT YOU’RE NOTICING
Something Doesn’t Feel Right?
Maybe your jaw feels tired or uncomfortable. Your teeth don’t seem to come together the way they used to. You’ve noticed more wear or chipping. A crown or filling keeps giving you trouble. Or perhaps you’re experiencing symptoms and wondering whether your bite could be part of the problem.
You don’t need to know whether the cause is your teeth, your bite, your jaw joints, or something else.
Tell us what you’ve been noticing. Dr. Farrell can help you understand what may be happening and whether dental treatment has a role.