Checking bite alignment - question please explain

[Kipepeo]

Backstory: When I had braces in my teens, my ortho would check my bite by asking me to relax my jaw, grab my chin and push my lower jaw backwards and close until the teeth touched. I hated this as it was a very unnatural position for my lower jaw, even uncomfortable for my joints. At the end of my treatment I had a positioner ( a rubber mouth guard like appliance used to finely position the teeth) made by placing my jaw in this same uncomfortable position. I was supposed to bite into this rubber thing rythmically to "position" the teeth. Because this bothered my joints, my muscles would fatigue. One day my jaw muscles cramped so bad I couldn't open or close my mouth, and I was told not to use the appliance anymore. Ever since then and after a fall on a trampoline I've had TMJ symptoms with pretty severe popping, and mouth opening/closing issues.

Now, 30 years later, just the other day in the ortho chair, we were checking my molar bite as it's changed when we didn't want it to. The ortho does this same maneuver; relax jaw, grab chin, push back, close bite. WHY??? This is not how I naturally bite. My relaxed jaw is not all the way back. In fact, in order for me to get my jaw back like that I have to use those muscles, and when I do they are extremely stressed. Just doing this for a moment fatigues those muscles to an uncomfortable level.

Does your ortho do this, and is it uncomfortable for you? Is this really the common natural position for the lower jaw and bite. Because if so, I need to explain to him that I am a special case (surprise) and we need to assess bite in a different manner, before I end up with a bite alignment I cannot live with.

[Crazy4Snow]

Hmmmm....that's odd, I've never had them check my bite before. My ortho just tells me to "naturally" close my mouth and he watches as it comes together. Maybe you should ask him to explain in detail why he is doing that to you in that particular way, surely there's a reason.

[thenumber12]

My ortho never did this maneuver. He would just tell me to flash my teeth. HOWEVER, the thing you describe spontaneously happened to me while I was in elastics on its own and now I have a retrognathic jaw!

That's strange that your orthos would want to purposely alter your bite to be that way. Maybe you should consult with a few other orthodontists and describe your situation and see if they react the same way.

[thenumber12]

I had a consult with very good ortho who also treats TMJ about my pain etc and he did that push jaw in maneuver. However, in my case, he pushed my jaw in (which there was really nothing to push in or back anymore) and told me to slowly bite down. He told me my jaws didn't have the mechanism in which healthy bites move, or directs and guides good jaw movement (that geometric curve motion).

I think they do this to ensure you're not losing this mechanism and related muscle memory in the process of treatment which my first ortho DID NOT do and now I'm in a whole lotta mess.... or what this new ortho called a "special and interesting case."

[ArchWired28]

He might be checking for something called "functional jaw shift". Your jaw has to be very relaxed and the only way to achieve this is to let your head up. Now, slowly bring the jaw up until the very 1st spot touches. Do it several times very slowly and feel that spot. Now, as soon as the spot touches, slowly move the jaw all the way in the bite until you cannot move anymore. Do it several times with the head up. Do you feel the jaw "slide"? If yes, you have a functional jaw shift (no good ).

[thenumber12]

He might be checking for something called "functional jaw shift". Your jaw has to be very relaxed and the only way to achieve this is to let your head up. Now, slowly bring the jaw up until the very 1st spot touches. Do it several times very slowly and feel that spot. Now, as soon as the spot touches, slowly move the jaw all the way in the bite until you cannot move anymore. Do it several times with the head up. Do you feel the jaw "slide"? If yes, you have a functional jaw shift (no good ).

Or it might have been that. I was too in pain to listen attentively. I swear my condition is giving me ADD.

[goodteethby2013]

My ortho does this every time too to check the bite. I have a very hard time relaxing my jaw enough for him to move it. He always asks me to point out where the first point of contact when I bite 'normally' as compared with when he shifts my jaw and I bite down. It doesn't hurt me at all and I haven't asked him to explain exactly what he's doing, so I don't have a lot of info for you. I just think its for him to assess how to further correct the bite. Good luck!