What Are the Causes of Bad Occlusion?

Occlusion in dentistry refers to the relationship between the upper and lower teeth when the jaw is closed and their surfaces come in contact. Bad occlusion is the result of incorrect meeting of these surfaces, which can cause clamping, grinding of teeth and neck pain.

Symptoms

• Usually the first symptom felt in bad occlusion is biting the tongue on one side while chewing. Severe bad occlusion could cause ear pain and weak neck muscles.

Possible Causes

• Whiplash causes neck problems, which in turn cause the jaw and teeth to be misaligned. Grinding teeth is the second most-common cause of bad occlusions and also causes neck problems.

Solutions

• A dentist can do an occlusal adjustment to realign the teeth and jaw. A specialist called a neuromuscular dentist has state-of-the-art techniques. A night guard can hold the alignment and keep the stress off teeth if grinding at night is a problem.

Considerations

• Patients with neck problems should be evaluated by a chiropractor or physical therapist before going to a dentist for an occlusal adjustment, recommends dentist Henry Schonenberg of San Antonio.

Warning

• Bad occlusion will not correct itself, so anyone experiencing this problem should seek treatment.