Occlusal Adjustment: Why Dentists Do It and Its Key Benefits Tips

When you eat, talk or close your mouth your teeth need to function correctly. In cases where your top and bottom teeth aren’t fitting correctly then this is known as a malocclusion or misalignment. Even small high points can cause issues, causing problems with your jaw, pain in your face and damage to your natural enamel.

Occlusal adjustment is a precise conservatory treatment used to reshape your bite. This treatment is carried out by clinical dental professionals to ensure your chewing forces are balanced, protecting your natural teeth and alleviating jaw pain.

What Is Occlusal Adjustment?

Occlusal adjustment is a process of precisely reshaping your teeth to ensure that your top and bottom jaws fit together. Dentists will carry out this treatment as it removes any problem points:

How Do Dentists Find High Points?

– Finding high points. Dentists will identify any tiny areas which are contacting too early.

How Do Dentists Remove High Points?

– Removing high points. Using specialized dental burs the dentist will remove very thin layers of enamel from the problematic areas.

How Does Occlusal Adjustment Create a Balanced Bite?

– Balanced bite. Ensures your biting forces are distributed evenly across your teeth.

How Does Occlusal Adjustment Support Natural Jaw Movement?

– Natural jaw movement. Allows your jaw to glide without aggressive contact with individual teeth.

Why Would a Dentist Carry Out Occlusal Adjustment?

Uneven biting forces can place huge pressure on your teeth, ligaments and joints. Occlusal adjustment is recommended by dentists to overcome various serious problems.

Can Occlusal Adjustment Reduce TMJ Pain?

– Reduce TMJ Pain. Malocclusion cause your jaw muscles to work harder, causing constant pain in your face, tension headaches and clicking in your TMJ joints.

Can Occlusal Adjustment Prevent Excessive Tooth Wear?

– Prevent excessive tooth wear. Excessive friction will cause your teeth to wear down, causing cracks in enamel.

Can Occlusal Adjustment Prevent Damage to Dental Work?

– Prevent damage to dental work. High pressure will cause new crowns to snap, large fillings to crack and damage to expensive dental implants.

Can Occlusal Adjustment Reduce Tooth Sensitivity?

– Reduce tooth sensitivity. Too much biting pressure will cause inflammation of the nerve inside of your teeth causing sharp pain when eating hot or cold foods.

Can Occlusal Adjustment Prevent Gum and Bone Loss?

– Prevent gum and bone loss. Uneven forces will cause your teeth to vibrate inside your mouth, causing deeper periodontal pockets and increased bone loss around infected roots.

What Are the Common Symptoms of Occlusal Adjustment?

Many people suffer from bite problems without even knowing their teeth are misaligned. Being aware of some early symptoms can help you get in touch with a dental professional.

Can Constant Morning Headaches Indicate Bite Problems?

– Constant Morning Headaches. Often waking with dull headaches in your temples indicates you are grinding your teeth overnight due to a bad bite.

Can Painful Teeth Indicate Uneven Bite Pressure?

– Painful Teeth. Sharp pain in one particular tooth when eating usually indicates too much pressure is being placed on that tooth.

Can Cracked Enamel Be a Sign of Bite Problems?

– Cracked Enamel. Small cracks on the edge of your front teeth indicate uneven bite forces.

Can Clicking or Popping Joints Indicate Jaw Problems?

– Clicking or Popping Joints. If you are hearing clicking or popping noises near your ears when opening wide, this indicates your joint is struggling.

Can Loose Natural Teeth Indicate Excessive Bite Pressure?

– Loose Natural Teeth. If you can feel your tooth slightly moving then this indicates severe overloading.

How Is Occlusal Adjustment Performed?

Occlusal adjustment is performed by dental experts using advanced technology to ensure precise results.

How Does the Dentist Assess Your Jaw?

– Jaw assessment. The dentist will assess your jaw movement, looking for any muscle pain and reviewing your dental history.

How Is Articulating Paper Used?

– Articulating paper. You will bite down onto thin colored paper to highlight any high points.

How Is Micro Reshaping Performed?

– Micro Reshaping. The dentist will gently reshape your high points using very fine diamond burs.

How Does the Dentist Check Your Bite?

– Bite check. You will chew and glide your jaw whilst the dentist ensures all teeth are contacting at the same time.

Why Are Your Teeth Polished After Adjustment?

– Polished. The dentist will polish the teeth to ensure they feel smooth on your tongue and cheeks.

What Are the Benefits of Balanced Bite Forces?

Having a correctly aligned bite can provide numerous benefits.

Can Balanced Bite Forces Provide Pain Relief?

– Pain relief. Removing high points will reduce the overworked muscles in your jaw, providing relief from constant pain in your face and tension headaches.

Can Balanced Bite Forces Prevent Enamel Damage?

– Prevent enamel damage. Even distribution of forces will protect your natural enamel from cracking and chipping.

Can a Balanced Bite Improve Grinding?

– Improved grinding. Having a balanced bite means you can grind tough fibrous foods without causing strain to your jaw joints.

Can Balanced Bite Forces Protect Your Periodontal Health?

– Periodontal protection. By reducing the overloading it will prevent breakdown of the supporting tissue in your jawbone.

Can Occlusal Adjustment Help Dental Work Last Longer?

– Longer lasting dental work. Protecting new crowns, bridges and implants will increase their lifespan.

What Are the Safety Measures and Care Instructions?

Often patients worry that reshaping enamel will cause damage or pain. However dental experts will always follow strict guidelines.

Is Occlusal Adjustment Pain Free?

– Pain free. Removing tiny amounts of enamel will not cause any pain. Usually you won’t need any local anesthetic.

Are the Changes From Occlusal Adjustment Permanent?

– Permanent changes. As enamel cannot regrow dentists will only remove the smallest amount needed to balance your bite.

How Do Dentists Ensure an Accurate Assessment?

– Accurate assessment. Often dentists will take digital scans or take a bespoke mouth cast.

Can Night guards Help Protect Your Teeth?

– Night guards. Often occlusal adjustment will be combined with night guards to protect your smile whilst you sleep.

What Should You Know After Occlusal Adjustment?

You may notice your bite feels slightly different straight away.

• Avoid eating hard foods such as ice cubes, pens and hard sweets.

• Continue with your usual brushing and flossing routine.

• If you are still feeling a high point in a particular tooth let your dentist know.

• Wear your bespoke night guard every night.

What Are the Frequently Asked Questions About Occlusal Adjustment?

Is Occlusal Adjustment Painful?

No, Occlusal Adjustment is not painful. The dentist will remove tiny fractions of millimeters from the hard outer layer (enamel) of your teeth. As there are no nerves in the enamel you will feel a little vibration but no sharp pain.

How Long Will My Occlusal Adjustment Appointment Take?

An Occlusal Adjustment will take between 30-60 mins. Depending on how severe your misalignment is and how many teeth are involved you may be asked to return for a quick follow-up appointment in a few weeks.

Can Occlusal Adjustment Cure TMJ Disorders?

Occlusal Adjustment will help alleviate TMJ pain caused by interference in your bite however if your TMJ issues are caused by arthritis, physical damage or inflammation then your dentist will combine your bite adjustment with physical therapy, splints or specialist treatment.

Will Occlusal Adjustment Cause Sensitivity?

You shouldn’t experience any sensitivity. As the dentist will only be working on the outer enamel layer of your teeth. If your tooth was suffering from inflammation caused by too much pressure then this will usually go after a few days.

Occlusal Adjustment is a safe, effective and conservatory treatment. By removing high points, ensuring even pressure and reducing stress on your joints your dentist will protect your natural enamel, increase the lifespan of your dental work and stop chronic pain in your face. If you are experiencing uneven biting, sensitive teeth or constant jaw pain contact your dental specialist to have an assessment on your bite.