Dental Occlusal Adjustment

Dental Occlusion

A dental occlusion describes the way a person’s upper and lower teeth mesh when the mouth is closed. If a patient needs an occlusal adjustment, it means their teeth don’t mesh properly. To setup an appointment at Dentalville Panorama City in Los Angeles, please call (818) 686-5574 today!

Occlusal Adjustment

Occlusal adjustment procedures correct the way the teeth come together in the mouth. Such an adjustment evenly distributes the chewing force that a tooth experiences, eliminating extra pressure on the teeth, gums, and bones.

Symptoms That You May Need an Occlusal Adjustment

A few symptoms indicate that you may need a dental occlusal adjustment. Some of the signs and symptoms of teeth that need adjusting are:

• Loose or shifting teeth. If the spacing between your teeth seems to have changed, or your teeth don’t mesh like they used to, your teeth show signs of shifting.
• Grinding or clenching teeth. Stress may manifest itself by causing a person to grind their teeth. You probably won’t know you do it unless you have sore teeth or pain in the jaw and head.
• Headaches. One frequent cause of previously unexplained head pain is often discovered to be grinding the teeth. These headaches usually occur in your temple area.
• Pain in the teeth. If a tooth or two hurt when you bite down normally, your bite will need to be adjusted. This situation is usually caused by teeth that hit too soon upon biting.
• Sensitive to extreme temperature changes. If maladjusted teeth contact each other prematurely, nerves in the teeth can become hypersensitive to a hot and cold sensation. Usually, a colder sensation feeling hurts worse than hot does. One bite can produce a force of 200 pounds per square inch, so you can understand how nerve damage occurs.

Occlusal Adjustment Treatments

A few basic treatments exist to correct bite problems. Along with dental adjustments, some treatments for malocclusion issues may include:

• Medication. If the jaw muscles are tight, muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory medications can be used to help a person sleep, relieve inflammation, and reduce swelling.
• Making a Hawley Bite Plane. Using an individualized Hawley Bite Plane is indicated to resolve headaches, particularly where teeth are very loose from grinding.
• Splinting. When teeth are splinted, they are joined by use of a very strong material called Ribbond, which is similar to Kevlar. Loose teeth can be tied or splinted together with stronger teeth and sealed with a composite filling. Splinting isn’t a permanent solution to the solution of weak teeth, but it will keep loose teeth sturdy until an alternative method of treatment is used.

What is an Occlusal Adjustment?

During an occlusal adjustment, our dentist will reshape the teeth so that they mesh together more appropriately. Once your teeth touch each other properly, your bite problems should be solved. You should no longer grind your teeth or have headaches. Your tooth pain will be relieved, and your sensitive teeth even will be able to tolerate heat and cold once again. Contact Dentalville Panorama City today to discover your options for treating any occlusal problems you may have.