TMJ And Sleep Apnea Patient Case Studies San Francisco

Patient is a 35 year old female who presented with vertigo, dizziness, difficulty swallowing, teeth wear and grinding, and not sleeping well. Her front teeth were constantly chipping and needing repairs, which would not last long. X-rays showed her lower jaw and bite to be positioned too far back, thus compressing her TMJ joints and teeth grinding was the result. In her history, she had braces that retracted her teeth back after 4 adult teeth were removed to make it easier to have straight teeth. This result made for an uncomfortable jaw and muscles which irritates the numerous nerves of the face, neck and jaw. She was treated with reversible bite therapy utilizing a fixed resin orthotic which was esthetic and unnoticeable and allowed her to chew, eat and speak with a more relaxed jaw position. For four months her symptoms gradually dissipated, teeth grinding stopped and even her posture and facial appearance improved by the jaw’s relationship to head position and alignment! Patient enjoyed her new jaw and bite position so much she wanted it to become full time and then had her bite and jaw restored to a natural position non-surgically with porcelain veneers and crowns made to the corrective treatment position. She is happy, smiling and no longer has dark circles under her eyes from years of chronic pain and poor sleep!