Occlusion is the how your teeth come in contact with each other.
If your teeth are hitting unevenly, (too heavy on front teeth, too heavy on right or left teeth, or too heavy on a single tooth) this can cause pain and dysfunction in the head and neck area. Ideally, with the jaw joint fully seated in its socket, all your teeth should touch evenly. If your teeth touch unevenly, your jaw muscles have to position your lower jaw the best it can to try and get a reasonably even bite. Your jaw muscles are searching for something that does not exist: an even bite. This constant searching fatigues the muscles.
If you have a recent change in how your teeth come together, you need to have a dentist who will take a CBCT scan of your jaw joint to rule out possible pathologies and analyze your with bite mounted study models and or a Tek Scan.
(From Textbook Functional Occlusion, Peter Dawson)
An uneven bite causing muscle fatigue is called
Occlusal Muscle Disharmony
Symptoms of an uneven bite include:
Fatigued muscles on chewing harder foods
Deep Facial Ache
Headaches
Three types of uneven bite:
1. Posterior Occlusal interference. Too heavy on a back tooth.
2. Posterior open bite. Too heavy on front teeth.
3. Too heavy on one side: the right or the left.
Greater than 30% of headache patients have an occlusal problem that can be fixed without medications.
Causes of an uneven bite:
A damaged jaw joint
Osteoarthritis
Multiple dental restoration done at different times by different dentist
Unfinished orthodontics.
Inappropriate Orthodontic Retainers
Poorly fitting night guards.
Neck damage causing neck muscle bracing.
Treatments
Treatments for an uneven bite depends on the severity of the malocclusion. Most uneven bites can be fixed with an occlusion adjustment: a light reshaping of teeth. If the bite is further off than what can be corrected with an occlusal adjustment, other options include orthodontics, restorative dentistry, occlusal onlays, and condylar distraction.
Occlusal Adjustment (“Sculpting” the occlusion)
With a proper, harmonious occlusion all teeth have an equal amount of force when the TMJ is in its fully seated position. No single tooth has to endure an excessive load. The forces through the TMJ is reparative and regenerative, not destructive.
Enamel can be contoured with a dental diamond or added to with
composite. Enamel is about 2-3mm thick in healthy teeth. It is stone
like with no nerves. Adjusting removes very little enamel.
Adjusting the teeth is usually very comfortable. If a tooth is loose or
has an old filling, it can be sensitive on adjusting.
If enamel is already worn from grinding your teeth, dentin may be
exposed on adjusting. If this happens a small white composite filling
can be placed over the exposed dentin.
Afterward your bite will feel more solid. Many people notice improved
comfort right away, while others take a week or two to adapt.
Benefits of having a proper, ideal occlusion:
Muscles of the jaw are more relaxed.
Muscle movements are coordinated and smooth.
Less risk of splitting or breaking teeth.
Teeth will not become loose, but will remain tight and firm.
Helps to maintain the health of the temporomandibular joint.
Helps to maintain the health of the periodontium.
Front teeth that are adjusted in harmony look better.
