Problems Caused by Bad Bites Improper chewing, that can result in uneven wear on the teeth and deterioration of the jaw. Speech impediments. Straining of the jaw. Difficulty keeping the teeth clean, leading to periodontal disease.
If your bite isn't aligned, there is a high chance your tongue may be getting cut or nicked on the sides, which can lead to open sores that are more likely to get infected. So if you ever heard the term malocclusion, it literally means bad bite in Latin.
If left untreated, an overbite could cause significant health complications. These include irreparable damage to teeth from abnormal positioning and possible jaw pain including temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ).
Without a properly aligned bite you may experience the following problems: You may not be able to eat properly since teeth may not touch/align properly. It may affect your speech if the teeth disrupt your ability to pronounce words. Your teeth may wear down prematurely from the additional pressure in odd areas.
Headaches and jaw pain. Because your bite can produce up to 5600 pounds of pressure per square inch, there are significant forces at play in your mouth. If your bite is off, these forces are passed on to your jaw, resulting in jaw pain and headaches.
Signs Your Dentist May Notice
While some patients have severe overbites or underbites, others are less easy to tell. Your dentist, however, can usually spot these smiles and take Dental x-rays to determine how off the bite actually is. Your dentist will also be able to tell if your teeth aren't evenly wearing.
Having a bad bite can be difficult to cope with. It can lead to discomfort and oral pain the longer the problem persists. While for some, a bad bite may be something you live with your entire life, others may develop a bad bite after the development of other dental issues like tooth decay or jaw injury.
Many people live with a slightly uneven bite with relatively few problems. But you can recognize the signs that you may need an adjustment. The symptoms include the following: Some uneven bite issues are noticeable.
The first part of this treatment involves the use of braces and other orthodontic treatments to get the tooth and jaw realignment started. The second part of the treatment is orthognathic jaw surgery, where a maxillofacial surgeon repositions or reshapes the jaw with metal plates, screws, and wires.
From popping and clicking noises when opening and closing the jaw, to uneven wear on the enamel, more likely than not, you'll be able to recognize when your bite isn't aligned. If left untreated, the misalignment may result in you unconsciously clenching, grinding or gnashing your teeth while awake and during sleep.
Unfortunately, overbites not only get worse or more pronounced with age, but they cause a number of symptoms that can get worse with age as well, including headaches, trouble chewing, sinus issues, jaw pain, gum disease, and/or tooth decay.
It is never too late to fix an overbite. The most prominent danger overbite poses to one's oral health is the degradation of the enamel and teeth structure. As long as you haven't lost your teeth, you can always fix an overbite.
The Importance of Correcting an Overbite
If you have an overbite over four millimeters, you should get it fixed. Your lower teeth are not visible when you smile or talk. Many people find this unattractive, which can harm your personal and professional life. More significantly, an overbite can cause significant pain.
PROPER JAW POSTURE
The teeth should not touch ever – except when swallowing. This comes as a big surprise to most people. When not chewing or swallowing, the tip of the tongue should rest gently on the tip and back of the lower incisors.
One of the reasons a patient's bite may be “off” post-treatment could be related to a compliance issue. For instance, if a patient won't wear their rubber bands, their bite will not end up in the right spot.
You cannot fix overbite naturally; braces or surgery will be needed to correct an overbite. However, you can prevent some cases of overbite when you cure some childhood habits like thumb sucking, pencil chewing — overuse of dummies for babies.
Ways to tell if your bite may be off:
One side of your teeth feels higher than the other. You touch down on one tooth before the others. It is tender to chew on that tooth/side of the mouth. Something just feels different than it did before.
After filling a cavity, your dentist may ask you to bite down on a little piece of carbon paper using the newly filled tooth. If the filling is too high, it will leave carbon mark on the opposing tooth.
This painless procedure involves making slight adjustments to the surfaces of teeth to restore harmony to the teeth and bite.
What Might Be Happening. A variety of issues may be contributing to you feeling like your bite has changed in some way. If you have experienced tooth loss, your bite may not fit together the same way (or your teeth may be shifting out of place). If you suffer from bruxism, eroded tooth surfaces can affect your bite.
The traditional braces treatment is to attach metal brackets to the teeth and connect them with a wire. This wire will be tightened over time and will gradually move the teeth and jaw into alignment. The average time spent in metal braces is around 18 to 22 months, but this can vary depending on the individual.
Severe misalignments can cause problems when you chew, speak and breathe, and also affect your psychological wellbeing. They can increase the risk of gum disease and tooth decay (cavities) too. The medical term for teeth that aren't aligned properly is “malocclusion.”
The terms “bad bite” and “malocclusion” are general ways to refer to problems with the way the upper and lower teeth come together. Examples of malocclusion include: Overbite – The upper teeth protrude over the lower teeth. Underbite – The lower teeth protrude beyond the upper teeth.
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).
Complications from a human bite can be very serious, including severe infection and permanently damaged bones, joints and/or tendons.