Lopsided Jaw

If you are struggling with a lopsided jaw, you may not know that there are procedures to treat it. The language and lingo surrounding it may be very foreign to you. The process used to treat lopsided jaws is actually called an occlusal adjustment. We want to discuss what this means with you and how we, at Gentle Dental, can help you better your jaw structure.

What’s An Occlusal Adjustment?

What does occlusal adjustment mean?

Occlusal means relating to or involved in the occlusion of teeth, and to occlude means to obstruct or close up. An occlusal adjustment is when a dentist corrects the misalignment of your bite. It may have become pushed out of place during the shifting or pushing of teeth, which can be caused by your wisdom teeth coming in or your teeth compensating for lost ones.

The adjustment is made when your dentist uses a small dental drill to file your teeth until your bite is yet again even. This will allow your jaw to move back into its correct anatomical position.

Do I Need An Adjustment?

Let’s think about this

Let’s think about the circumstances which may require you to receive an occlusal adjustment. Think about how you feel when you wake up every morning. Do you feel the after-effects of constant grinding? When you bite down, do you feel as if your teeth are not properly meeting on one side? This could mean you have a lopsided jaw. This will cause you to experience pain and discomfort in your day-to-day life related to your mouth.

While it may seem minor now, this problem can become progressively worse. Over time, your teeth will naturally shift to accommodate the shape of your bite, meaning that it can get worse. You don’t want to be left with teeth that can’t function properly.

What Does Treatment Look Like?

Before your adjustment begins, your dentist will want to evaluate several things. First of all, they will want to assess the state of your teeth and speak to you about your options. During this time, they will let you know what your alternatives are, what they think could happen if left untreated, and list everything you need to treat. Next, if you both decide that an occlusal adjustment is the right next step, they will use technology to evaluate the areas of your teeth that need adjustment. For example, they can use a scan of your mouth to pinpoint where your teeth aren’t meeting or where they are overlapping.

They aim to do this responsibly, which means they have no desire to remove to treat teeth that don’t need it. You can trust them to only treat the affected areas so that your bite lays in the best way.

Contact Gentle Dental About Occlusal Adjustment

If you would like to schedule an appointment with us, fill out our contact form here or make a call to one of our Texas locations. Our assistants are prepared to get you on our schedule so you can be seen as soon as possible. Don’t prolong your dental issues, speak with us today!