Even while sleeping, there should be no reason for your top and bottom teeth to touch. As mentioned above, the ideal resting position for teeth is totally non-interactive.
You may not have realized this, but teeth are not meant to touch. It sounds odd, but think about it. They don't touch while you speak, smile or rest. Even when you chew, your teeth only have to be close enough to mash food, not necessarily touch.
At no time, even when you're eating, should any of these teeth touch each other. Think about it, when you bite off your food or you're chewing, the teeth themselves are not touching each other, they are simply masticating the food. That leaves the rest of the time in your life.
The mandibles are strong bones that can generate a lot of power when they open and close. This power is the exact reason why your teeth should only touch when you're eating. In fact, the continued unnecessary impact that happens can take a toll on your teeth, gums, and jaw over time.
The backs of the upper front teeth should rest in gentle contact with the fronts of the lower ones. This means that the upper teeth are in front of the lowers when the bite is closed. The edges of the upper teeth should not bite directly on the edges of the lower incisors or behind them (known as an underbite).
You shouldn't be experiencing any pain in your bite, if you do have some pain in your jawbone or in the muscles around your jaw, this can be an indicator of a misaligned bite. If your teeth are aligned with each other and symmetrical on the upper and lower jaw line, this is a good sign that your bite is healthy.
A posterior (back teeth) open bite happens when a patient's back teeth don't touch when the front teeth are closed. Sometimes an open bite is caused by thumb-sucking or a tongue thrust and can make taking a bite of certain foods like pizza or a chicken wing difficult.
When our bite is off, our muscles become strained. You may notice clicking sounds when you eat, chronic migraines, snoring, a sore jaw, and other uncomfortable issues. Our temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the part of our mouth that acts as a hinge, attaching our lower jawbone to our skull.
Proper Teeth Alignment
When your teeth are at rest, your upper teeth and lower teeth should touch slightly, and your tongue should rest at the roof of the mouth. Proper tooth alignment is part of good oral health. Misaligned teeth can take various forms, including overbites, underbites, and crowding.
FROM THE FRONT: your upper front teeth should fall in front of your lower teeth (toward your lip), and should overlap them by about 2 mm. Upper and lower front teeth should hit lightly. FROM THE TOP (OR BOTTOM): The back teeth should be upright, NOT tipped toward the cheek or tongue.
A posterior open bite, on the other hand, is when the teeth towards the front of the mouth touch when the jaw is closed, but the back teeth don't meet. An open bite should be treated. If it's not, it can cause problems with chewing and speaking.
Even while sleeping, there should be no reason for your top and bottom teeth to touch. As mentioned above, the ideal resting position for teeth is totally non-interactive.
Your teeth should meet together like cogs in a wheel. The pointed ends of the upper teeth should fit perfectly between two teeth on the bottom, while the upper teeth should sit slightly in front of your lower teeth.
If you've noticed a slight change in your smile or teeth alignment, it may be an indication that your bite has shifted. This condition is known as malocclusion and results from crooked or crowded teeth and misalignment between the lower and upper dental arches.
The extent of incisal tooth display at rest is an important esthetic factor in evaluating the outcome of fixed and removable prosthodontic procedures [1]. Accepted prosthodontics guidelines recommend displaying 2–4 mm in the arrangement of upper incisor teeth below the relaxed lip [2].
Simply put, proper tongue positioning occurs when someone gently rests their tongue on the roof of the mouth and away from the teeth. During rest, the lips should also be closed, and the teeth slightly parted.
Healthy gums should fit snugly around each tooth, with the distance between the gum tissue and its attachment to the tooth only one to three millimeters in depth. Advancing gum disease can lead to deeper than normal spaces around the teeth called periodontal pockets.
Proper oral resting posture is achieved when the following is present: mouth is closed with teeth touching (or just slightly apart) lips are closed.
The most obvious sign that your bite may be uneven is your appearance. Twisted, overcrowded or otherwise crooked teeth may be the most apparent signs.
The results in normal subjects suggest that as the clenching intensity increases in the intercuspal position, the bite force adjusts to a position where it is well-balanced. This adjustment may prevent damage and overload to the teeth and temporomandibular joints.
A misaligned bite can exacerbate or lead to TMJ issues, causing pain and discomfort in the mouth and jaw. If you are suffering from stiffness, soreness or notice clicking noises with your jaw, it is likely that you are dealing with TMJ/TMD. A misaligned bite and TMJ can also lead to persistent headaches.
Malocclusion means the teeth are not aligned properly. Occlusion refers to the alignment of teeth and the way that the upper and lower teeth fit together (bite). Malocclusion is the most common reason for referral to an orthodontist. Most malocclusion is mild enough not to require treatment.
A well-aligned mouth doesn't cause pain at rest or while working. Your teeth aren't chipped or ground down due to uneven forces, and your tongue and cheeks are free from scratches and bite marks. During your dentist's checkup visits, words like malocclusion, crossbite, and open bite don't come up.