Bite Correction
What is Bite Correction?
Bite adjustments, equilibrations, porcelain veneers, porcelain crowns, and orthodontics are dental treatments which are offered to patients as Bite Correction. First let’s talk about obvious dental problems. Patients with obvious symptoms have underbites and cross bites and large lower jaws. The opposite of underbites are overbites with over jets and short round faces with small looking lower jaws and chins. Bite correction can be accomplished with a high tech method that is safe, predictable and painless. It has been so effective and successful that even young patients with overbites, crossbites, TMJ pain and underbites are avoiding risky jaw surgery and getting their bite corrected which idealize the jaw position, correct the bite to the TMJ and get a new and improved shape to their faces and facial profiles.
Adult Bite Disorders
When patients get headaches, clicking and popping jaw joints, age prematurely and are grinding their teeth at night they have a bite disorder. A bite disorder relates to the position of the lower jaw in relation to the upper jaw and to both TMJ joints. Bite correction has been a highly invasive procedure called a full mouth reconstruction. However, there is a much safer and more predictable method that does not require grinding down healthy teeth or bite correction surgery. The majority of the adult population (approximately 80%) have a misaligned bite and many of them are not even aware of the tension and stress it causes. Some people have back pain and don’t equate it is coming from their muscle tension from their bad bite. Some dentists say it is from oral compression habits but the real cause is a compromised position of the lower jaw caused by a bad bite.
Misaligned Teeth
Patients with misaligned teeth also have a malocclusion of the teeth because they lack ideal jaw alignment. Surgeons want to treat jaw correction with jaw surgery. Some patients get headaches and their dentist told them that they had a good bite because they had a class 1 occlusion and 1 millimeter of overbite. But the dentist did not understand that they needed bite correction because the jaw position created a functional disharmony with the TMJ
Who Needs Bite Correction?
People that want to live their lives to the fullest get their jaw position idealized. These patients want to feel better every day and reducing tension and stress should be one of the highest priorities.
Symptoms Indicating Bite Correction Problems Include:
- Headaches
- Facial stress and muscle tension
- Stiffness or pain in your jaw
- TMJ popping and clicking when you move your jaw
- Uneven bite and worn down teeth
- Facial collapse and a collapsed bite
- Snoring and insomnia
- Low self-esteem due to small or large chins caused by an overbite or underbite
- Teeth grinding (bruxism)
The Importance of Jaw, Bite and TMJ Harmony
When the patient’s jaw position is idealized to the TMJ and upper teeth the health benefits improve the quality of their lives. The importance of the jaw position cannot be overstated because patients with the “optimized” jaw position look younger than most other people near their age. The importance of jaw, bite, and TMJ harmony reduces tension, stress, headaches, pain and premature aging.
Bite Correction Treatment for Adults
We are living a lot longer and there is no reason to age prematurely or suffer physically from a worn down bite. Too many seniors cannot speak clearly, chew properly, sleep normally or wake up refreshed because they don’t have room for their tongues. Bite correction treatment for adults is not only a cosmetically pleasing effort but a healthy improvement effort that can change the quality of their lives.
Bite Correction without Braces or Surgery
Bite correction is one of the most critical components to achieve maximum health, yet it is rarely considered unless the patient needs a lot of dental work. Most patients think of tooth decay and gum disease when they think of dental health but they are missing one of the most important aspects of their health: a healthy harmonized jaw and bite. Far too often, the baby boomer generation is living with worn down short yellow teeth without understanding how much better they could live with their teeth restored. They are not aware that this treatment can be achieved without grinding down the patient’s healthy teeth. It is essentially a non-invasive treatment without surgery or braces. The way the teeth fit together determines the level of neuromuscular stress in the head and neck region. Some patients are not aware of the amount of stress they have in their lives from worn and misaligned teeth. Other patients have TMJ pain; headaches, neck and back pain and are acutely aware of the daily stress and discomfort.