Having a bad bite is common. And probably this is also the reason why it is the most neglected. Having a bad bite means that your upper and lower jaws don’t fit well with each other. This interferes when you eat or talk. A bad bite should not be overlooked. It will have an important effect on your dental health in the future.
If teeth surface bothers the movement of the jaws, some teeth can be loosened or the enamel can be worn out. The muscles of the jaw carry a lot of power and if the upper and lower jaws don’t fit well with each other, it can cause major dental problems.
More problem happens when your teeth gets in the way with functional muscle patterns. The muscles of the jaw might try to destroy the part of the tooth that gets in the way. They grind it hard, wearing out the tooth. It can even cause a tooth to crack or chip off. What’s worse, it can loosen a tooth or move it out of alignment. Too much pressure and activity in the muscles causes muscle pain. Tension headaches are oftentimes a result of this.
Too much muscle activity can also be caused by emotional stress. Some people grind and clench their teeth when they are under stress. This causes damage. But it can be managed by by equalizing the biting surfaces that interfere with jaw movements. This can be done by wearing braces that will move the teeth to a more favorable position.
Not a lot of people know this but the jaw muscles are powerful. Some can exert more than 900 pounds of compressive force on their jaw muscles. This can move other teeth and cause damage.
There are times when too much force is exerted and it makes the jawbone stronger. This will cause the tooth to bend and chip away. This is called abfraction. They used to be thought of as abrasion caused by toothbrushing. But evidence proved it wrong. It was a result of the tooth bendng in its socket. The problem is it chips away in the part near the gumline and forms a groove. These grooves makes the tooth root vulnerable and when this happens, you’ll soon notice sensitivity. When a patient wears braces to correct the bite and reduce force exerted on the teeth, it will also reduce or even eliminate tooth sensitivity.
There are many information about a good bite and its relation to the condition and position of jaw joints. Some are even contradicting. Some are just a misconception and do not sufficient study to support them. But knowledgeable orthodontists know this very well and they know how to correct the problem. There are braces that can correct the relationship of your teeth and your jaw.
