Poor bites can affect your teeth, gums, bones, and appearance.
What is a normal bite?
In a normal bite, the upper teeth should fit between teeth in the lower arch. This is so that when you chew, the cusp tips travel between the grooves of the opposing teeth.
Normal bite
What is a poor bite?
If teeth do not fit together they are said to be in malocculsion. How the teeth fit together becomes very important when you consider the amount of force produced during the act of chewing. Every time you chew, 760 pounds of pressure per square inch is generated. Teeth in a poor bite continually bang against each other in a traumatic relationship. This causes them to wear down, loosen and eventually be lost.
poor bite
Further effects of poor bites
Teeth biting on gum tissues, such as in severe overbites and underbites, cause the gums to recede, resulting in further loss of supporting bone structure and tooth loss. When a bite is deep, excessive force is placed on both the upper and lower front teeth. The result is that these teeth become loose. In a severely deep bite, the supporting bone becomes so stressed that it resorbs, leading to further tooth loss.
How “TMJ” is related to a poor bite
A poor bite places undue forces on the jaw joints pulling or pushing them out of their natural position every time the mouth closes. Pain, muscle spasms, tenderness and joint damage frequently result from such a poor bite. This muscle strain and joint damage manifests as headaches, ringing in the ears, limited jaw opening, and clicking commonly known as TMJ syndrome. Eventually, this stress on the jaw joints will cause degenerative arthritic damage to the joints.
Contact us today to learn your best orthodontic treatment options to fix your poor bite. From traditional metal braces to Invisalign we have affordable treatment options for every case.