When you think of attending a dental check-up the chances are you visualise having your teeth looked at for signs of decay and your gums being prodded to check for soft spots.

And while these are both important diagnostic tests, there is more than can be done and identified during your biannual check-up.

For one thing, a common issue that can be treated by dental teams that is often overlooked is a problem with jaw misalignment.

At Amsel and Wilkins, our dentist in Banbury aims to ensure that your entire mouth is healthy and, should you have a problem with your upper and lower jaw meshing together, our team will aim to resolve this issue.

But you may be wondering how a misaligned jaw is diagnosed. Well, it turns out if you have some of the following symptoms or all of them, you may want to pop in to see our dentist in Banbury to explore realignment options.

Clicking jaw

Do you ever open your mouth to yawn and have a popping sensation?

If you do, this could be an indicator that there is an issue with your jaw and that you need to see our dentist in Banbury.

Typically, a clicking jaw is often caused by temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) which, in itself, is linked to misalignment of the upper and lower jaws. If we suspect that you have TMD, we may order a set of X-rays to have a better look at the joint and will then decide on the best way to relieve the popping and the alignment issue.

Discomfort around the jaw joint

An obvious indicator of problems with your jaw alignment is discomfort around the jaw joint.

This is usually more obvious in the morning, as during the night you may have spent a great deal of time grinding your teeth together as a way to compensate for the misalignment. This can also be worsened by certain medications, such as antidepressants, so if you have suddenly developed discomfort around your jaw joints and have begun taking such medications, you should talk to your GP.

To alleviate this discomfort, our team may decide to provide a mouthguard to wear at night. If the jaw misalignment is more complex, we may opt for surgery to relieve the discomfort and protect the joint.

Back and shoulder discomfort

Yes, that misaligned jaw can cause problems in other parts of your body too.

For instance, there are many muscles in the jaw that are connected to those in your back and shoulders. And if you spend a large amount of time grinding your teeth or compensating for misalignment in other ways, these muscles will become tense and sore.

Once again, we can aim to alleviate this with mouthguards depending on the severity of the alignment of the jaw.

Difficulty chewing food

OK, so if you are ever having issues eating food, you need to seek medical help! But if this creeps on gradually, and you find it hurts your jaw to bite into or chew food, this can be an indicator of TMD and you will need to see our team for diagnosis and treatment.

When you discover that either yourself or your partner is pregnant, one of the last health professionals you will think of seeing is a dental practitioner!

And while you may have a lot of appointments to arrange with your doctor, midwife and nurse, it is important not to neglect your dental health during pregnancy. Not only can dental issues during pregnancy lead to issues with your own body, but studies have discovered that they can have negative impacts on your developing baby.

At Amsel and Wilkins, our dentist in Banbury has helped thousands of women cope with the changes that pregnancy can bring to their dental health. So, if you are looking for high-quality prenatal dental care, come to us!

But what are some of the most common conditions that pregnant women can experience with their oral health? Our dentist in Banbury answers below.

Pregnancy gingivitis

You have probably heard of gingivitis at one time or another; an inflammation of the gums caused by excessive plaque, which in turn can cause the gums to swell, bleed and be sore.

Well, during pregnancy, your body’s immune response is heightened, as it is working to protect your growing baby. And so, even a small amount of plaque left unchecked can cause pregnancy gingivitis to occur.

Luckily, it is easily resolved; our dentist in Banbury will be able to perform a scale and polish and will be able to offer you antibacterial mouthwash and toothpaste. These will all help keep the gingivitis at bay and will allow you to eat food without having sore gums.

Tooth decay

As your body is going to be busy helping your new baby to grow, you will probably experience a drop in calcium.

Inevitably, this will lead to your teeth becoming more fragile, weaker and more susceptible to injury and decay. And so, it should come as no surprise that many women experience a higher incidence of tooth decay during pregnancy than at any other time.

We will, of course, be on hand to provide fillings, crowns and root canals to you, along with fluoride sealants which will act as a protective shield between your teeth and any bacteria, lowering the chance of decay.

Acid erosion

During the first trimester of pregnancy, you will probably be suffering from morning sickness.

Mix this in with food cravings, and there is going to be a higher occurrence of acid in your mouth, which can lead to acid erosion of your teeth.

Acid erosion can play a key part in developing tooth decay and of course, it can lead to a higher incidence of cracks and chips and thus weaken the enamel.

For this, we may offer you fluoride sealants that will protect your teeth against acid, alongside acid neutralising mouthwash.

Pregnancy granulomas

And finally, we come to pregnancy granulomas; harmless growths that can occur on your gums during pregnancy due to an increase in the hormones progesterone and estrogen. These will typically resolve after your baby is born but, should you have a particularly large one that is causing issues with either eating or breathing, we will gladly be able to remove it for you in our clinic.