Occlusal Bite Correction – How it Helps You

This patient has a significant bite problem even though she has straight teeth. Her bite is misaligned from years of grinding, which has caused jaw problems and jaw pain. Her teeth grinding is so severe that she has physically shortened her front teeth very gradually over time. There are corrections for teeth grinding and the goal at the end of the occlusal bite correction treatment is to improve her bite .

TMJ Treatments are Usually Needed Because of a Bad Bite

She grinds her teeth and now they are too short. She needs prepless porcelain veneers to lengthen her teeth and to provide a protective layer over her thin enamel. She also needs a bite correction to help to reduce her grinding, TMJ problems, and jaw pain. This was a minor bite correction which is not to be confused with the ultimate bite correction Face Lift Dentistry^®.

Stop Porcelain Veneers from Breaking

With her teeth ground down so short she also needed to have her teeth lengthened with the bite correction. But, only VENLAY^® Restorations can correct a bite non-invasively.

The second choice was non-invasive porcelain veneers. It has been said in other write-ups that porcelain veneers cannot correct a bad bite. This is true but because she did not need her jaw repositioned due to a deep overbite or under bite, veneers could at least make her worn down front 10 upper teeth a little longer. Her bite is still essentially the same except for some strategic “tooth guidance” corrections to keep her from breaking of her veneers.

When a patient grinds their teeth or has jaw problems there are various bite correction treatments available to protect the teeth and jaw from further damage such as wearing an occlusal night guard. A night guard protects the teeth while the patient is sleeping. It stops further wear from happening due to a misaligned bite or worn down teeth. In her particular situation just stopping the teeth grinding was not enough. She also needed the short teeth to be lengthened for a more youthful appearance.

Teeth Grinding - Usually is the Result of a Mechanical Interference with your Teeth and TMJ

There is wear and tear that shows on our teeth as they continue to shorten over the years. The cusps of the teeth are worn down and the bruxism that continues is destructive. Once the patient has ground through the dental enamel, the tooth structure inside the tooth (the dentin) is soft and wears faster than the enamel. The destructive process continues until the individual teeth are compromised and the function of the bite dynamics is impaired. Therefore occlusal bite correction could be the solution.

Bad Bite or Bite Misalignment

As the teeth wear down the teeth get flat and loose their cusps. When you combine worn down teeth with a deep overbite, the patient will have bite problems. Sometimes bite problems turn into jaw problems and jaw pain that requires overbite or underbite correction treatment.

The close up before photo of this patient clearly shows that the edges of her upper teeth have been ground completely flat. This level of wear is typically seen in adults over 50 years of age. There is no hiding the fact that there are years of wear and damage to your natural teeth. Not only is this level of tooth wear bad for your health but it also makes you look older than you should.

Tetracycline Stain

Her problems are also compounded by the tetracycline stains that are making half of her teeth look dark. The tetracycline stains give her teeth a gray tone that is less than appealing. A great way to mask tetracycline stains is noninvasive porcelain veneers. She did not want her natural teeth to be ground down for the porcelain veneers so she found Dr. Muslin who prefers a non-invasive approach. She wanted a natural color, longer teeth, and a balanced bite all without compromising the health of her natural teeth.

Occlusal Bite Correction - Closeup Photos

Teeth grinding, TMJ problems and jaw pain were relieved with overbite correction and porcelain veneers. No prep porcelain veneers were bonded to her natural tooth enamel without shots, no needles and no tooth grinding.

Anti Aging Dentistry

The bite correction treatment has a big anti-aging benefit because as we grow older, our teeth get worn down. But, keep in mind that there are different levels of bite correction. The best level can improve the shape of the patients face. It can also improve the patient’s facial profile. It can also offer permanent facial support, which prevents premature aging. Some patients have more wear than others but a 60-year-old person will have significant tooth wear and resulting jaw problems. When the wear is extensive it can lead to a misaligned bite that can cause jaw pain and headaches. To reverse bite problems, deep bites, or misaligned bites with high tech dentistry such as porcelain veneers (only very minor bite corrections are possible with veneers) or a full mouth reconstruction can have significant anti-aging benefits. The shape of your face is very much so determined by your bite position and jaw alignment. It also impacts your profile proportions and soft tissue support of your lips, cheeks, and jaw line.

The Highest Level of Anti-Aging Health Care

Dr. Sam Muslin’s exclusive anti-aging non-surgical Face Lift Dentistry ^® treatment is designed to develop the most ideal jaw position, facial shape, and profile for a patient at almost any age. The best part of this treatment is that it is a mechanical approach rather than surgery or drugs. He does not use injectible facial fillers. He does not cut down healthy teeth. What he does is optimize the health of the patient and combines the health benefits with the most cosmetic benefits possible. His goal is to preserve your natural facial characteristics. His goal is to help you live a longer and healthier life by optimizing your health through jaw joint stress reduction.

Improving your Face with a Mechanical Non-Surgical Approach

The shape and facial profile of the patients face is determined by the length of the teeth, the angles of the teeth, the height of the bite. It is also determined by the balance and harmony of the bite and the jaw joints. TMJ problems and jaw pain are a result of bite misalignment, deep bites and worn down teeth. The height of your bite is frequently too low and your face may be too short at any age and this gets even worse in later years. In order to create the most ideal bite height and jaw position the TMJ needs to be synchronized with the bite. Anti-aging dentistry is the ultimate in bite correction treatment when combined with Dr. Muslin's Dental Face Lift ^®.

This Is Not Just Cosmetic Camouflage, It Improves Your Health

When the teeth are worn down and the bite deepens, it can be very advantageous to treat the teeth and correct the bite sooner rather than later. The cusps can be restored and the dynamic function of the entire bite, jaw and TMJ can be synchronized again. Porcelain VENLAY^® Restorations can cover the biting surface as well as the outside surface of the teeth in order to raise the bite and reposition the jaw without grinding down the natural tooth structure. Dr. Sam Muslin developed the Face Lift Dentistry^® method of non-invasive under bite and overbite correction many years ago in order to treat his patients with a full mouth reconstruction without grinding down healthy teeth. There is nothing better than reaping the health and cosmetic rewards of a full mouth reconstruction without any compromise to your health. When the Face Lift Dentistry^® method is utilized, the patient benefits with less jaw and neck tension which has health benefits that can last a lifetime. His patients don’t just look better, they feel better!

Patients fly in from all over the World to be treated in Santa Monica California because of the speed, efficiency and expertise of this dentist. His treatment skills and his methods have benefitted his patients that made the travel “worth it”.