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| General Dentistry » Occlusion and Occlusal Problems |
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Occlusion is the way our teeth meet together and slide across one another
The body has evolved for our bite to work in a certain way
The jaw joint and muscles, along with the teeth are part of this system
If a tooth is slightly out of line, then the muscles have to work extra hard - and constantly position the jaw in a bite that is not ideal,; but doesn’t overstretch that tooth
This can start to affect the
1. teeth - wear down, chip, crack, sensitive, wobbly
2. muscles - muscle tension, headaches, neck ache, sinus pain, eye pain, tinnitus
3. jaw joint - pain
It Can be likened to how we adapt if we have a stone in our shoe, rather than walking normally and the stone hurting the sole of our foot; our muscles work differently and we limp. Eventually our muscles would become tired
Treatments
The aim of treatment is to minimise stress on the teeth, their supporting tissues; the muscles and jaw joint
Bite splints
These are a thin plastic bite guard that goes over the lower set of teeth.
It is finely adjusted to give an ideal bite
This helps the jaw muscles to relax
It protects the teeth and helps with headaches that are caused by occlusal problems
Equilibration
Is the fine adjustment of the chewing surfaces of the teeth to meet the specific criteria of an ideal bite
Restorative
If the teeth need more than fine adjustment they may need building into line with a filling or a crown
Orthodontic
If the teeth can’t be adjusted and are out of line dramatically, then the teeth can first be moved into a desired position with certain types of orthodontic braces or invisalign
Occlusion is the way our teeth meet together and slide across one another
The body has evolved for our bite to work in a certain way
The jaw joint and muscles, along with the teeth are part of this system
If a tooth is slightly out of line, then the muscles have to work extra hard - and constantly position the jaw in a bite that is not ideal,; but doesn’t overstretch that tooth
This can start to affect the
1/ teeth - wear down, chip, crack, sensitive, wobbly
2/ muscles - muscle tension, headaches, neck ache, sinus pain, eye pain, tinnitus
3/ jaw joint - pain
It Can be likened to how we adapt if we have a stone in our shoe, rather than walking normally and the stone hurting the sole of our foot; our muscles work differently and we limp. Eventually our muscles would become tired
Treatments
The aim of treatment is to minimise stress on the teeth, their supporting tissues; the muscles and jaw joint
Bite splints
These are a thin plastic bite guard that goes over the lower set of teeth.
It is finely adjusted to give an ideal bite
This helps the jaw muscles to relax
It protects the teeth and helps with headaches that are caused by occlusal problems
Equilibration
Is the fine adjustment of the chewing surfaces of the teeth to meet the specific criteria of an ideal bite
Restorative
If the teeth need more than fine adjustment they may need building into line with a filling or a crown
Orthodontic
If the teeth can’t be adjusted and are out of line dramatically, then the teeth can first be moved into a desired position with certain types of orthodontic braces or invisalign |
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