For the majority of patients suffering from TMJ disorders, there is no relationship between their dental health and their bite (dental occlusion) and the health of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ).
– TMJ disorders and your bite: its a myth.
The MYTH of TMJ disorders being caused by bite started in the nineteen sixties when studies looked at bite and muscle activity in the moment and found that changing the bite does change the muscle activity in the moment (Ramfjord); this change does not sustain over time which has been shown multiple times in research setting. There are number of studies showing bite has almost no relationship to TMJ disorders. Unfortunately, anecdotal stories and opinions are rampant online which claim otherwise. Majority of TMJ disorder tend to be self limiting and do not require aggressive interventions. A large prospective study showed that majority of TMJ disorders involve several variables; the bite is a tiny variable marked by a red arrow in the figure from the research paper. While it is possible that a bite can play a role, it doesn’t not play much of a role in majority of TMJ disorders. Occlusal orthotics (aka mouthguards, bite plate and oral appliances) are an effective treatment modality and the mechanism is physical medicine and bio behavioral in nature rather than fixing the bite. Studies have found that the benefit of occlusal orthotics do not sustain if teeth are moved (or crowned) to the position of the mouthguard.
From: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24275219/
Slade GD, Fillingim RB, Sanders AE, Bair E, Greenspan JD, Ohrbach R, Dubner R, Diatchenko L, Smith SB, Knott C, Maixner W. Summary of findings from the OPPERA prospective cohort study of incidence of first-onset temporomandibular disorder: implications and future directions. J Pain. 2013 Dec;14(12 Suppl):T116-24
