Three Possible Causes of Dental Occlusion Issues
Posted on: 29 December 2015
Dental occlusion is the manner in which your upper and lower teeth meet when you chew, or your mouth is at rest. Ideally, the upper teeth should be in maximum contact with the lower teeth when you close your mouth. Unfortunately, the fact that you have a proper occlusion now doesn't mean it will be the case forever. Here are some of the things that may interfere with this arrangement:
Missing Teeth
When you extract a tooth and fail to replace it, you encourage the resorption of the jawbone. The sac-like bone that surrounds and supports the teeth, which is known as the alveolar, needs constant stimulation (that it gets from the teeth) to maintain its density. When a tooth is missing, the alveolar doesn't get this stimulation and loses its form and density after some time. When this happens, the jawbone doesn't rebuild itself and loses its form. This leads to distortion of the occlusion, meaning your upper and lower teeth may not make perfect contact. The only way to prevent this is to replace any missing tooth as soon as possible. You may consider turning to cosmetic dentistry for an implant.
Bruxism
Bruxism is chronic teeth grinding and clenching. In moderate to severe cases, it leads to excessive enamel wear, fracturing, and loosening of teeth. Of course, this harmful habit may also lead to failure of dental restorations, such as bridges and crowns. All these things may interfere with the symmetry and sizes of your teeth, which inevitably messes up with your dental occlusion.
Apart from the physical wear of teeth, other symptoms of bruxism include:
- jaw pain
- facial soreness
- tight jaws
- increased tooth sensitivity
Contact your dentist for a diagnosis. Bruxism can be treated via different techniques that include therapy, medication, and dental correction.
Periodontitis
Periodontitis is an advanced form of gingivitis (gum disease). It develops if the bacterial plaque spreads below the gum line and affects the tissues supporting the teeth, including the bone. As more bone tissue gets destroyed, the teeth lose their stability and become loose. The mobility of the teeth leads to occlusal collapse.
The preventive measure is to avoid gum disease by observing a high level of oral hygiene. It also helps to treat gingivitis before it progresses to periodontitis.
What if you have already lost your perfect dental occlusion? In that case, orthodontic treatment becomes useful in stabilizing your teeth and correcting your occlusion. Consult your dentist for further measures on preserving your occlusion or correcting your malocclusion.
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