Have you had frequent headaches, popping and aching jaws, shoulder, ear, neck pain and/or other symptoms. When teeth are lost or worn down over the years, the jaw no longer settles into a natural and relaxed position. This causes the muscles that control the movement of the jaw to be in constant tension which gives rise to a host of problems that can make daily life miserable. By a thorough evaluation of your occlusion, these symptoms may be treated with an occlusal device (night guard) or by restoring both the upper and lower teeth simultaneously (full mouth reconstruction). This returns the jaw to the position that nature intended. Many patients report a relief of symptoms they thought would plague them for the rest of their lives. A critical part of this procedure is knowing how much tooth structure to restore to place the jaw back into its optimal position. Some general dentists make an educated guess. Others may use a computer, which can only evaluate a limited number of aspects of the human stomatognathic system, to identify a new vertical dimension of occlusion. But to properly evaluate a person’s “bite”, many factors must be taken into consideration. Dr. Rimes explains, “The temporomandibular joint is probably the most complicated joint in the human body. Not only is it affected by the teeth, but many muscles, tendons, and anatomic structures must be taken into consideration to properly restore a patient’s occlusion into their physiological optimal position.”