Hi Biani,
It's not really possible to answer your question other than to say, it's a possibility. It is common for many, if not most, people to NOT be perfectly symmetrical. But, you shouldn't have to "shift" your bite when you close your mouth either. Some people do, tho, and are just fine with it. The lower jaw deviation could just be your skeletal DNA make-up or the results of an old injury to your mouth or jaw. Does it mean you have TMJ? I can't tell you that.

IMPORTANT QUESTION - Do you have any pain or do you have problems with functioning (eating)?

I don't believe that bite malocclusion is the CAUSE of TMJ. It definitely plays a big part tho. If a person’s stress level increases and they clench or grind their teeth while sleeping (many/most people do), it may or may not cause TMJ, but if the bite is poor or imbalanced, that might push the body into TMJ or temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

Your body might be used to having this deviation, and if so, I wouldn't worry about it. But if it starts to cause pain or function problems, then you need to take action.

Good questions. TMJ is a very interesting and complicated "dysfunction." I hope and pray that you are not experiencing any of the adverse symptoms of TMJ. Take care.

God bless...
Carol

its very possible. A lot of people whith tmj have mallocclusions. and it is sometimes the cause.

thank you everyone. I don't experience any pain, it's just an annoying pop when i yawn and sometimes when i eat. Also, the way i bite feels off, but i don't know if i were to bite down where my lower jaw aligns with my top one would make my jaw muscles feel akward or tired.
It mostly bothers me because my whole mouth looks crooked, like a little skewed and pointing to the left. And my nose is a little crooked too, but it points to the right... so i kind of feel like a picasso painting, and not in a good way! lol
So i guess i'm just wondering if it could be as simple as getting braces to be able to bite down the center and fix my facial asymmetry a little...

Braces is a possibility but make sure that the orthodontist is more concerned with balancing your bite, not necessarily perfectly straight teeth.

God bless...
Carol

catswold - had someone told me that before I would've been a lot more picky with my ortho. Too late =)

Biani - I think I can relate. Before braces one side of my jaw made tiny, barely audible clicking noises and I had a crossbite (I think that's what it's called) like Tom Cruise's teeth but not as severe. Braces may have made it worse. My ortho tried masking the problem by shifting one side of the upper arch inwards to conform to the lower which caused major assymetry and tmj, but he proved successful in matching my teeths midlines. It might be a good idea to first go to a tmj specialist then maybe that dentist can work with your ortho to achieve a balanced jaw.

most of the time ortho either creates tmd or makes it worse

I'm afraid to do anything about it, cause i have read that ortho can make it worse to a point where you can't open your mouth, and at the same time it bugs me everytime my jaw pops and when i see myself in the mirror or in pictures and i notice my mouth is so misaligned.
Thanks to everyone for their input.
I didn't know Tom Cruise had a crossbite, he looks pretty normal to me...

Dyan, I must comment on your statement using the word, "MOST." This is an irresponsible claim to make. Thousands, if not millions, of people over the years have had orthodontic work and most of them have NOT developed TMJ.

In my family which has several braces alumni, I am the only one who developed TMJ due to a multitude of factors - one, because my lower jaw was not fully developed. Another, my wisdom teeth came in and completely changed my bite. And of course, the biggest reason - STRESS. Now that I've learned how to handle stress much better and had my bite balanced, tho I have DJD of both jaw joints, my TMJ is pain-free most of the time (and that's with NO surgeries).

As always, there are good, so-so and bad orthodontists just like in all dental and medical fields. We must do our homework and find the best ortho before having braces put on our precious teeth.

God bless...
Carol

every one that i know that has had ortho from a regular ortho good or bad has ended up with tmj problems--beleive me i do my homework-- pms please