Improve Bite Force & Jaw Function with Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care improves bite force and jaw function. It’s one of the safest and most effective options for treating head, neck, and jaw issues.

There are several ways that chiropractic care improves jaw function, including bite force. For example, chiropractic treatments:

• Reduce TMJ pain symptoms by correcting joint dysfunction and easing stress and tension in the jaw, neck, and head
• Restores range of motion
• Reduces pressure on nerves by realigning the joint
• Improves overall oral health

How Chiropractic Care Increases Maximal Bite Force

Research shows chiropractic treatments increase bite force. According to one study, chiropractic spinal manipulation increased maximum bite force immediately after the intervention, and the increase remained for at least one week after chiropractic adjustment.

Chiropractic care affects the central nervous system—adjustments impact processing, integration, and motor control. The study addressing bite force supports this idea: chiropractic spinal manipulations' primary effect is neuroplastic.

Even mild problems with the spine are associated with negative neural plastic changes. This includes:

• Elbow joint position sense
• Mental rotation ability
• Multisensory integration

What are Neural Plastic Changes?

Neuroplasticity or neural plastic changes occur as the brain evolves in response to life experiences. Plasticity is the shaping, molding, or altering of something. Therefore, neuroplasticity describes the brain’s ability to adapt or change by creating new neurons and building new networks.

In the past, it was believed that our brains stopped growing once we reached adulthood and that there was little we could do to change our brains positively. However, we now know that the brain continues to grow and change. Our life experiences alter different regions of our brain and how they work. It’s possible to change dysfunction in the brain and to develop new memories, skills, and abilities, and there is evidence that chiropractic adjustment supports this evolution.

Many believe spinal dysfunction alters the brain, how it functions, and how it perceives the world around it. Spinal manipulation changes cerebellum and prefrontal cortex processing. Mild spinal dysfunction can alter information traveling from the neck to the brain, which plays a role in sensorimotor integration and jaw motor control. 

Chiropractic Adjustments & Brain Function

Chiropractic care helps you improve overall brain function. Your chiropractor determines what’s wrong with your spinal alignment. Once they’ve determined the root of the problem, they develop a customized solution for fixing it.

Chiropractic adjustment eliminates interference in the communication between your body and brain. This helps you achieve optimal health. Chiropractic care frees the spine and nervous system from interferences caused by everyday stress, including a poor diet, environmental toxins, sitting too much, and not practicing proper posture. It can also help with acute problems, including injuries from accidents.

Chiropractic manipulation and treatment:

• Support the brain’s reaction time
• Increase activity in the prefrontal cortex
• Help you develop an ideal diet and exercise routine for your needs

In addition to helping with jaw function, many signs, symptoms, conditions, and disease processes emanate from the malfunction of our centrally controlled functions in the human body. Chiropractic adjustments could positively affect all of these functions, improving overall health and well-being.

Chiropractic Adjustments for Jaw Realignment

Your jaw is made up of two joints. They connect the mandible (lower jaw) and the temporal bone (lower side of the skull). These joints and the muscles and ligaments in the area allow the jaw to move in all directions. If any part of this structure misaligns, it can cause joint inflammation and other problems.

Jaw misalignment is caused by one of a variety of factors, including:

• Trauma
• Stress
• Teeth grinding
• Poor posture
• Neck injuries
• Whiplash
• Arthritis
• Lengthy dental procedures
• Careless dental work

Symptoms of jaw misalignment include:

• Headaches or migraines
• Jaw pain, popping, clicking, and lockjaw
• Teeth grinding, cracked, worn, or broken teeth
• Inability to open or close the mouth fully
• Jaw opening to one side
• Pain in the jaw or face
• Neck pain
• Tinnitus, clogged ears, ear pain, or ear popping
• Slurred speech
• Eye movement problems 

Conclusion

Most people don’t give much thought to their jaws. However, if a problem develops in their jaw, it can affect their quality of life. Your jaw affects eating, drinking, talking, laughing, yawning, and even your ability to get a quality night of sleep. When something is misaligned in your jaw, it causes pain and discomfort throughout your everyday life.

Jaw misalignment and problems with bite force are common. Unfortunately, they can be painful and disrupt your daily life. Although a dentist or doctor might offer solutions for improving jaw pain, many procedures are invasive and expensive. They might also cause more harm than good.

Chiropractic treatment is one of the safest and most effective ways to deal with jaw health issues. It’s a less expensive, less invasive treatment that helps ease pain and loosen tight muscles. It gets to the root cause of the problem and allows you to restore normal mobility to your jaw. It’s also a whole-body approach promoting your body’s natural healing inclination. Best of all, it can help you get back to sleeping, eating, speaking, and living without pain caused by jaw health problems.

Dr. Eric Neumann D.C.

Dr. Eric Neumann grew up in Alberta, Canada where he majored in Chemistry at the University of Calgary. During his time at University, he obtained licensure as a Massage Therapist. It was clear that hands-on healing would be his calling. After suffering multiple sport-related injuries he became interested in Chiropractic. Dr. Neumann graduated from Western States Chiropractic College in 2009. He has since specialized in the treatment and management of acute spinal injuries.