What is Bite Disease?
Occlusal Disease, or Bite Disease, is one of the three major diseases that affect the teeth (along with cavities and gum diseases). However, Bite Disease is often much harder to detect since it is not as well known. Bite disease is usually caused by a misalignment of the tooth surfaces or by excessive tooth grinding and clenching.
What are the symptoms and dangers of Bite Disease?
Bite Disease has a variety of painful consequences to your teeth. Common symptoms of Bite Disease include excessive tooth wear, increased sensitivity, sore muscles or jaw joints, headaches, cracks in teeth, loose teeth, or even broken teeth. These can cause serious damage, necessitating bridges, crowns, and other repairs for the teeth.
We tell our Weston area dental patients that if bite disease is caught early, it can be treated before it causes major damage to the teeth.ÂÂ This early detection will reduce the number of bridges and crowns required throughout a patient’s dental treatments.
How is Bite Disease detected and treated?
Our Weston dental office staff is trained to recognize early signs of bite disease before it becomes more serious (such as cracks or sore muscles instead of broken teeth). Your dental exam will include diagnosis for bite disease by examining the way you bite down (occlusal analysis), or by making a model of your teeth to study your bite. If you are diagnosed with Bite Disease, our dental staff will then begin any needed treatment. A common beginning treatment for Bite Disease, is a bite splint, a piece of plastic added to your teeth in order to create a temporary perfect bite, which will reduce the symptoms and prevent further damage. For a more long-term solution, we may reshape your teeth so that they fit together better and don't grind against each other.ÂÂ Like many diseases, the key to effective treatment of Bite Disease is catching it early, so be sure to schedule regular visits to our Weston area dental office for early detection of any symptoms of Bite Disease!
