HOW COULD PROBLEMS WITH THE TEETH CAUSE HEAD AND NECK PAIN?
– IIA Problem: Muscle incoordination occurs if and when any back teeth touch while the jaw is forward or chewing side to side. As soon as any premolar or molar contact occurs, the dentin and periodontal neural networks signal the brain, which instructs the powerful chewing muscles to clamp down. But the jaw is not centered to close straight down on the back teeth! The lateral pyterygoid muscle, fully aware, “fires” to try to shift the jaw right or left, in an attempt to “go around” the spot that shouldn’t be allowed to hit! This spot is called an “interference.” When one has even the slightest improper contacts or “interferences,” the lateral pterygoid muscle will fire — all day long! Every time we chew, every time we swallow, in fact every time our teeth touch. The muscle becomes hyperactive, and the pain begins. Like in any other overworked muscle in the body, lactic acid builds up; the muscle can’t get enough oxygen to wash it away, and the pain cycle commences.Not only is the late
