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.
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.
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.
Braces and clear aligners are the go-to solutions when it comes to fixing a bad bite. The dentist may also opt for retainers in case of a mild malocclusion. A procedure called neuromuscular dentistry is increasingly being utilized by experts to fix a poor bite.
Dental adjustments
Dental bite adjustments that can fix a bad bite caused by malocclusion starts with a visit to an orthodontist who may prescribe orthodontic braces, retainers or palatial expanders to straighten and reposition teeth.
The process for an occlusal adjustment is easy and convenient. We utilize articulating paper to mark the teeth where the points of contact are during biting and grinding. This allows us to notice the slightest irregularity and make only the adjustments that are necessary.
Problems with your bite can be easily fixed with braces. If you have a severe overbite, an underbite, or an overjet, you have teeth that need braces.
In some cases, a jaw will correct itself over time. However, if the misalignment is severe, surgery may be required to realign the jaws. In most cases, surgery is successful in correcting the misalignment and restoring normal function.
Causes of an Uneven Bite
Overbite or underbite. Trauma or accidental injury. Missing teeth. Persistent teeth grinding and jaw clenching.
This painless procedure involves making slight adjustments to the surfaces of teeth to restore harmony to the teeth and bite.
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.
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.
Should your teeth touch when sleeping? 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.
If your upper teeth hang over your lower teeth by more than a few millimeters — and you want to see a marked improvement — jaw surgery will likely be necessary. Orthodontic treatments cannot fully correct significant bite problems.
Alteration in facial appearance – twisted, overcrowded or crooked teeth are the most notable symptoms of an uneven bite. These symptoms can disfigure a smile or the line of your face.
Shifting of the bite is also referred to medically as “malocclusion.” It results from teeth that have shifted from proper dental arch alignment due to crooked teeth, crowded teeth, or improper bite alignment between the upper and lower dental arches.
An uneven bite can cause unneeded strain in the jaw muscles, which ultimately can lead to pain and discomfort. In some cases, this could even cause TMJ (Temporomandibular joint disorder) as a result of the jaw facing considerable pressure as a result of the misalignment.
Additional signs of a dislocated jaw include the following: Your jaw might appear to jut out too much, as in an overbite. You might notice that your teeth don't line up as they usually do and your bite feels strange. An abnormal bite can prevent you from closing your mouth completely, and this might cause drooling.
The mouth cannot be closed, and the jaw may be twisted to one side. A dislocated jaw is occasionally caused by an injury but is typically caused by opening the mouth excessively wide (such as during yawning, biting into a large sandwich, vomiting, or during a dental procedure).
Open bites do not necessarily cause severe health problems, but they can lead to difficulty chewing or biting into foods. An open bite puts stress on teeth in ways that may not be good for long-term dental health. For example, front teeth do not touch, which could lead to chipping a tooth due to the stress of biting.
Fixed retainers alone are insufficient for stabilizing the results of corrected open bite. The change of overbite in the retention phase could not be predicted from cephalometric measurements. Extraction and use of adjunctive removable appliance did not have any effect on the treatment relapse.
The ideal age to have braces is usually around 12 or 13, while a child's mouth and jaws are still growing, but it can be earlier or later. The opportunity for improvement in an adult is more limited and treatment is likely to take longer.
Wearing down the enamel of your teeth will make your bite feel different, and it can even lead to chipping, cracking, and/or breaking teeth. Teeth gradually shift as we age. Through a drifting process, our teeth slowly begin to shift inward and forward as we age.
If you suspect your jaw is misaligned, the best way to know for sure is to speak with a dental professional. Your dentist should be able to tell you pretty quickly if your jaw is properly aligned or not, and from there you can begin to discuss options for correction.