OCCLUSAL ADJUSTMENT

The occlusal adjustment, called occlusal equilibration, involves selective sculpting of tooth surfaces to improve tooth contact patterns. Here at Shine Dental Group, our Occlusal Adjustment procedure makes corrections to the bite associated with loose, shifting teeth or biting too hard. Balancing and evenly distributing the biting and chewing forces on a tooth reduces the looseness and relieves excessive pressures on the supporting gum and bone structures. This painless procedure makes corrections to the bite.

Some signs that an occlusal adjustment may be necessary include the following:

• Loose or shifting teeth: increased spacing between the upper front teeth. You may feel your teeth are out of alignment.
• Grinding or clenching of your teeth: this habit (usually stress-related) can cause an uneven distribution and excessive biting force on several teeth and the bone support holding the teeth within the jaw.
• Headaches: may sometimes accompany the grinding or clenching of your teeth. In most cases, the headache will occur in the temporal regions of your head (lateral to the eyes).
• Pain: One or more teeth may hurt upon eating or biting down. This pain is caused by a tooth’s eruption beyond the bite’s normal plane. One or two teeth may come in contact prematurely.
• Sensitivity to temperature: (sometimes hot, but mostly cold). The nerve within the tooth gets irritated and hypersensitive.

Too much pressure on specific teeth can exacerbate periodontal disease causing more mobility of teeth and increasing the pockets where food can get trapped under the gums. Relieving the stress around certain teeth can decrease the mobility around those teeth. Occlusal trauma, such as grinding and clenching, can also contribute to periodontal disease. An occlusal guard or night guard may help reduce the stress around these teeth. Additional treatment may be necessary to obtain optimal periodontal health.

Call for an appointment with our Board Certified Periodontist at (516) 348-8500. You can also make an appointment online by clicking here.