A bad bite is a problem faced by many people. A bad bite effects the way the upper and lower teeth fit together when biting or chewing. A bad bite can also be known as an irregular bite, overbite, or underbite. This condition one of the most common dental issues that often is neglected. Leaving an irregular bite untreated can lead to many more dental problems in the future. If patients have a bad bite, this means that muscles are not relaxed or their jaw joint may be clicking and popping. This means that the patient has an increased risk for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ). TMJ can cause headaches, along with neck, back and shoulder pain. The existence of an overbite or underbite can present challenges that extend far beyond looking good.
If you want to learn even more, we invite you to reach out for a free high quality smile consultation, where we can answer all of your questions in depth.
Having a bite that is in harmony with the muscles of your face and the jaw joint is essential for long term health. A calm bite means calm muscles which is head-ache free. We say that the bite is like the terminus of the spine. The reason the lower jaw can move in any direction allows for stress in the body to release itself through the mouth. Posture has been shown in the literature to be affected by your bite position. Breathing and the size of your airway is affected by how your teeth come together. When the lower jaw comes forward, the tongue follows it and thus open the airway. Nutrition and how you chew your food is affected by your bite. The better you can chew your food, the better digestion healthier you will feel. . A healthy bite can allow patients to avoid future dental problems like breaking teeth and allow their teeth to last for years.
Technology today can allow dentists to find a physiologic correct (harmonized) bite without surgery or braces. For many years, the most common recommendation for correction was orthognathic, or jaw-correcting surgery. This is un-necessary.
Many times, patients come to us and inform us that they were told they needed Jaw Surgery to correct their deep over-bite, under-bite, cross bite or just plain old bad bite. We have developed many systems that allow us to correct and re-align your bite without surgery. This is how we do it…..
This phase involves the use of TENS and/or EMG to relax the overworked muscles of the jaw. Only when these muscles are relaxed can the doctor can obtain the most accurate data related to bite. We call this Physiologic Rest! This means determining proper bite position, jaw joint position , and calm low active muscles, is the sweet spot we are looking for. We then capture this position using dental Play doh. This position that is captured is used to design a “trial bite” that is worn for a short time. We call this an orthotic. Patients wear this for anywhere from 1 to 3 months. When this trial bite has been thoroughly tested and the patient feels healthy and good, phase two may begin.
This phase involves keeping the bite position we found indefinitely. How can we do that? By either holding it there with the fabrication of porcelain restorations , such as porcelain veneers or dental crowns or moving the teeth into this position using Orthodontics. Non-surgical correction for overbite or underbite can be achieved using this method
Typically we find harmony between the muscles of the head and neck, the jaw joint and the bite by using an orthotic. The orthotic is placed in the position of the new bite. The orthotic takes two visits to diagnose, and fabricate spaced out within a week between dental visits. We like for our patients to acclimate to it for one to three months and make sure its comfortable. Once the patient is feeling good with the new bite, they can correct the bite permanently using porcelain restorations which takes only two major visits to perform or by doing orthodontics which can take up to two years.
We try and find harmony between the bite, the muscles of the head and neck and the jaw joint. We need to try it out first and make sure it will help you. This process can last anywhere from 1 to 3 months. There are many different types of bite plates and we like one that looks and feels like real teeth. They can be fixed inside the mouth and act like real teeth. Patients eat and speak with them. This allows the muscles to get used to this new position.
Dr. David Frey, a Beverly Hills, CA 90210 dentist passionate about creating beautiful smiles, graduated from UCLA and the University of Pacific School of Dentistry. After serving under privileged children, he opened a cosmetic dental office servicing Beverly Hills, CA 90210, 90211, 90209, 90212 and 90213 pioneering porcelain veneers, TMJ Treatment, Periodontal Treatment, Dental implants. He now uses the latest techniques to serve patients in Beverly Hills and London. His work has been featured in media and he holds patents and authored books. He prioritises continuous learning and enjoys family, travel, and a healthy lifestyle.
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