Q. Hi, My upper right canine tooth grew in the wrong direction in my teens and as a result this and my upper right incisor had to be removed. I had a brace on my upper teeth for about 18 months and at 15 was fitted with a maryland bridge between my central incisor and 1st premolar. I was advised this would last for about 10 years and then would then need some sort of perminant replacement. I am now 25 and still have the maryland bridge. Unfortunately this has forced my bite out of line and causes me to grind and clentch my jaw creating swelling and pain in my temporomandibular joint. I have seen several different orthodontists who have recomendended differnt things – I was also saw a TMJ specialist who suggested an £800 head scan and wearing a splint at night, he also said my jaw pain had nothing to do with my teeth at all. Is my jaw pain unconnected to the maryland bridge? And if so would it be better to have the maryland bridge replaced with a more modern appliance or try and sort out the jaw problem first?