4 Signs You May Need Dental Bite Adjustment

Occlusion is the dental term for the perfect alignment of upper and lower teeth. While some people are lucky to enjoy this type of alignment, most people do not. There are reasons for that less-than-perfect smile and pain when chewing or opening and closing mouth. If troubled by the appearance of your teeth and experience pain whenever mouth opens and closes, do not ignore what your teeth are trying to tell you. Listen and take action.

Professional treatment necessary

Alignment problems do not go away naturally. Malocclusion requires the professional intervention of a general dentist or orthodontist trained in recognizing the signs of occlusion or malocclusion. Such things as:

• Symmetry in the lower part of the oval of a person's face
• No spaces or gaps in the development and arrangement of upper and lower teeth called dentition
• No obvious interdental spaces in the teeth rows
• Molars and premolars do not lose contact when the jaw moves forward or backward

Perfect occlusion means that the mouth joints, muscles, teeth and jaws align and function perfectly. Malocclusion brings bad bites known officially as overbite, which is when top front teeth overlap the lower front teeth; underbite, which occurs when lower teeth overlap upper teeth; crossbite, which is an improper meeting of upper and lower teeth with upper teeth falling within lower arch; and open bite, which occurs when teeth do not close fully but leave an opening.

Generally, misaligned teeth and the subsequent bad bite come as a result of genetics, thumbsucking as an infant, dental fillings and crowns that shift teeth and alter a person's bite, mouth injuries related to contact sports or blunt force trauma to mouth as comes as a result of an accident.

4 signs that someone needs a dental bite adjustment

1. A sore jaw
2. Sensitivity in certain teeth when eating foods due to the force of chewing being focused on one area of the mouth rather than being balanced across all teeth. Crowns or fillings that are higher than the rest of the teeth surfaces in the mouth can cause this.
3. Frequent headaches, which can be due to an uneven bite due to the central nerves connected to the face, jaw, scalp and teeth
4. Adult teeth growing crooked in the mouth and causing tooth crowding

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. If the problem is a height adjustment of a crown or filling, a dentist or orthodontist can shave off some of the filling material or reshape and replace the tooth crown.

For more information or to schedule an appointment with iSmile Dental Care, request an appointment in our Union office here: https://ismiledentalcarenj.com. Or call us at (908) 768-3057.