Most of the time your orthodontist will be the one to refer you to a surgeon to discuss jaw surgery. Orthognathic surgery is usually completed in conjunction with orthodontic treatment or braces. It also includes procedures to move the lower jaw or mandible rotationally to correct asymmetry, forward or backward. This includes procedures to move the upper jaw or maxilla forward, backward, or even to widen it. The surgery used to correct a severe malocclusion from a misaligned jaw is called orthognathic surgery. What surgery is done to correct a misaligned jaw or malocclusion? Cosmetic disharmony in the smile and facial profile.Difficulty with chewing or incising foods.What kind of problems can having a misaligned jaw or malocclusion cause?Ĭommon problems that result from a misaligned jaw or malocclusion include This can be either congenital, meaning from birth, developmental in nature, or from a traumatic injury. A malocclusion can also be the result of misalignment of the jaws themselves. A malocclusion can be limited to the teeth themselves and would be fixed commonly with orthodontic treatment or braces. What that means is that the teeth of the upper jaw or maxilla do not align appropriately with the teeth of the lower jaw or mandible. Those with irritable bowel syndrome are best off staying away from all products that contain a significant amount of sugar alcohols - not just chewing gum.The term bad bite is a lay term for malocclusion. The sugar alcohols that serve as artificial sweeteners can act as laxatives, causing things like cramping, digestive distress and even diarrhea. It can make folks with IBS truly miserable.įor the people out there who think sugarless gum is the way to go because it has fewer calories, be mindful if you have any sensitive stomach issues or digestive problems. Talk about an unhappy digestive system… 5. This process can lead to additional bloating and make your tummy feel even more distended than it did before. When you chew gum, you swallow a bunch of little sips of air over time, filling your stomach with unwanted gas.
It can make your indigestion symptoms worse.Ī lot of people chew gum to help relieve feelings of nausea or an upset stomach, but gum can make these unpleasant symptoms worse. So if you’re someone who already deals with a migraine disorder or frequent headaches due to the common stressors and anxiety triggers in your life, you’re better off staying away from chewing gum altogether. That constant compression in your jaw from excessive chewing does more than predispose you to conditions like TMJ - it also increases the number of tension headaches you experience and how frequently they present themselves. It hurts to chew your food, it hurts to laugh… Pretty much everything related to moving your mouth hurts. It predominantly affects the jaw, jaw joint and surrounding muscles, leading to severe pain any time you try to move your jaw away from its typical closed alignment.
The bad bacteria in your mouth digest sugar before it gets to your stomach, and you chew gum over a prolonged period of time, so those windows of time increase the amount of plaque buildup on your teeth and cause tooth decay to occur over time.Īnother common side effect of chewing gum, especially during times of high stress, is called temporomandibular joint dysfunction, or TMJ. Unless you opt for sugar-free gum 100 percent of the time, that gum chewing habit is negatively impacting your dental health. Here are all the ways chewing gum is hurting you more than it’s helping you. If you chew gum regularly, too, it’s important to know how the habit impacts your body, from your teeth to your stomach and beyond. We’re gum chewers, and it’s not doing our health any favors.
And we snag another piece when we’re caught in an uncomfortable situation and need that oral fixation to help take the edge off (and distract you from the awkwardness).
We reach for a piece when we feel a little hungry but aren’t ready to eat a full meal just yet. We pop a piece after a boldly flavored lunch to put the kibosh on that garlic breath.