When experiencing a severe headache, teeth are generally the last thing on people’s minds. They might start thinking back to how much caffeine they ingested over the last few hours, whether they’ve had enough water, or maybe wonder if they’re just under too much stress at work. But pain caused by uneven teeth is a lot more common than you might think; 75% of all head, neck, or facial pain is caused by the strain in muscles due to bite problems. With this in mind, you might wonder how a lack of alignment in your mouth could lead to such issues. What’s the correlation?

For starters, although you may not be aware of it, people with an uneven bite are more likely to have certain unhealthy habits, namely clenching and grinding of the teeth. Much in the way that an unsteady chair or table constantly wobbles as you struggle to keep it level, your clenching and grinding is an unconscious effort to level your mouth. Unfortunately, this has a lot of negative impacts on your dental health. Constant clenching and grinding put significant pressure on the crowns of your teeth and can eventually lead to dental damage. If severe enough, your teeth could become worn in places or even develop breaks. The other area of your body most likely affected in the process is your muscles—specifically, those used to move your jaw.

Think about a time when you had to exert an unusual amount of physical effort, such as unloading heavy furniture into a house, trying out kayaking for the first time, or moving some boxes around at work. It’s likely that afterward, you noticed soreness in certain areas of your body. When your muscles are overworked without proper preparation and rest, they ache. The same is true for the muscles in your face. Extensive clenching and grinding are like an extreme workout for your jaw, and over time the muscles connected to that part of your face are likely to start suffering as a direct result.

There are some strategies you can take to help with such behavior, such as utilizing a mouthguard in your sleep. However, if the problem is significant, you may require something more substantial, such as braces. In either case, the first and most important step is diagnosis. Without a proper diagnosis, it’s impossible to understand the breadth of the issue and how best to fix it. X-rays can help reveal what sort of damage has already been sustained and might indicate to your dentist that you will need to have your teeth repaired, but an x-ray cannot reveal whether your bite is the source of trouble. Instead, the best diagnostic tool is Dr. Simon’s Best-Bite Discluder. When applied, the tool relieves the pressure felt by the joints and muscles in your jaw. If the pain goes away as a result, then you’ll know your bite was responsible. The entire diagnostic procedure can be resolved within 10 minutes, allowing us to move forward quickly with possible treatments.