Risk Category III:   Bite and Chewing:

One of our goals is to help people keep their teeth functioning, for their life. Looking good is a plus too. But functioning can be a challenge.

All of us are built differently, and a combination of the geometry of our jaw structure, teeth, and muscles, along with our muscular habits, can contribute to an accelerated breakdown of teeth or dental restorations, sore muscles, or jaw joint issues.

Our first evaluation includes documenting a screening of the condition of your jaw joints (TMJ’s–by the way, ‘TMJ’ is not the name of a disease, it is a body part), how your teeth are aligned when in contact, how they rub together, checking the muscles which move your jaw around, and degrees of tooth wear as well as the location and pattern of the wear.

Some people have no significant tooth wear, their muscles and joints are quite, comfortable, and they are ‘low risk’. We may be able to use porcelain on the back teeth, with confidence. If you are young and have an excessive amount of wear, this is a higher risk situation. If you have signs or symptoms of some of the other described considerations, these are criteria which I base my future recommendations on.  A gold crown for example, will not chip or fracture, as a porcelain crown might, and its use will reduce the premature risk of failure, a great treatment for the furthest back teeth.

There are times when people will grind or clench their teeth, either daytime or nighttime, which contributes to faster wearing down of teeth, failure of dental materials, and sometimes symptoms of sore jaws, joints, or teeth. If this is a consequence of that individuals sleep pattern, we can make a removable appliance to wear at night, better balancing the teeth, muscles and joints. Doing so, will decrease the risk factor of these excessive forces.

Sometimes I will see uncontrolled patterns of wear predominantly in the front teeth (thinning, chipping), and sometimes I will see more dishing in, and/or fracturing of the back teeth. When we consider age, and the progression of this, we may be able to favorably influence this by changing the biting surfaces of teeth. Whether embarking on a journey of multiple restorations or not, this is worthy of consideration, as we may be able to modify the biting surfaces, creating a more efficient chewing machine, with less wear and tear on the system. This could be considered analogous to balancing tires and alignment when one gets a new set of tires.

Bite improvement is a treatment which can be done many ways. You will see in our website an area, (‘The Process’, under Dental Solutions), which shows some steps included when we do this treatment.  For years, I have used removable appliances to help us diagnose, conduct treatment, and preserve a person’s function. After making strategic bite improvements or even just using a removable appliance during sleep, many of our clients tell us that they feel more relaxed in their face, and their teeth are now more comfortable to chew with. This is a nice ‘bonus’, as I promote bite improvement for the longevity and function of the teeth, and our dentistry.