If you experience frequent
headaches and pain in your lower jaw, check your posture and consult your
dentist about temporomandibular disorder (TMD), recommends the Academy of
General Dentistry (AGD), an organization of general dentists dedicated to
continuing dental education.
Poor posture places the
spine in a position that causes stress to the jaw joint. When people slouch or
hunch over, the lower jaw shifts forward, causing the upper and lower teeth to
not fit together properly, and the skull moves back on the spinal column. This movement puts stress
on muscles, joints and bones and, if left untreated, can create pain and
inflammation in muscles and joints when the mouth opens and closes. "Good posture is
important, yet many people don't realize how posture affects their oral
health," says AGD spokesperson Ludwig Leibsohn, DDS. Dr. Leibsohn treats
patients who have complained of facial pain. "Their posture often is
unbalanced, and this rearranges the position of the facial muscles, causing the
bumps and grooves on the upper and lower teeth not to fit properly
together," said Dr. Leibsohn. An oral appliance can
help align the teeth in a position that will reduce facial pain caused by poor
posture. The appliance can also prevent future damage to teeth.
knowyourteeth.com
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