Table of contents
What Is an Uneven Bite?
An uneven bite or poor occlusion occurs when teeth do not occlude correctly. Several different issues can cause an uneven bite, including:
- Overbites.
- Underbites.
- Open bites.
- Crossbites.
- Overcrowded teeth.
- General misalignment.
What Causes an Uneven Bite?
Numerous issues can cause an uneven bite, including:
- Genetics, as tooth alignment is often inherited.
- Oral habits like thumb or finger sucking, or teeth grinding and clenching (bruxism).
- Missing teeth.
Sometimes the issue is due to restorative dental treatment. For example, if you have a dental filling or crown, your bite might be slightly too high afterward.
This is because it can be difficult to adjust a bite precisely when you are numb from dental anesthesia and may not notice an issue until later. In this case, your bite can easily be adjusted by your dentist, correcting the problem of an uneven bite.
Potential Problems Caused by an Uneven Bite
Sometimes, an uneven bite will cause very few oral health problems and may not need treatment. At other times, an uneven bite can impact your dental health and cause unpleasant symptoms. Some of these are outlined below.
- Temporomandibular Joint Disorder
Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ, is a problem affecting your jaw joints that hinge your lower jaw, called your mandible, to your skull. When these joints are affected, they can become painful and inflamed, and the discomfort can spread to the facial muscles, causing headaches or shoulder pain.
An uneven bite can cause TMJ, as it can place your jaw joints under excess pressure.
- Discomfort When You Bite or Chew
Biting and chewing are normal actions that should be entirely painless. However, if some teeth bite down before others, it can cause discomfort and may mean you adjust the way you eat without thinking of why this is necessary.
- Excess Wear and Tear on Teeth
One problem with an uneven bite is that some teeth will bite together before others, and these can become excessively worn and chipped. Consequently, they may feel more sensitive to temperature changes or when exposed to sweet or sour foods.
Can Invisalign Fix an Uneven Bite?
Invisalign can be highly effective in realigning teeth to ensure they bite together correctly. Treatment can help address mild, moderate, and more complex bite problems using a series of custom-made aligners to reposition teeth gradually.
Benefits of Choosing Invisalign for an Uneven Bite
The main benefits of choosing Invisalign for orthodontic treatment are ease of use. It has minimal impact on everyday activities. Some of the benefits are outlined below.
- The clear plastic aligners are virtually invisible once in the mouth, so treatment is very discreet.
- Because treatment is planned digitally, it is extremely predictable and precise provided you follow the plan exactly.
- The aligners are comfortable and easy to wear with no brackets or wires to dig into your cheeks and lips.
- The aligners are easier to keep clean than braces since they are removable.
- Oral care is easy with Invisalign, as you can brush and floss normally.
- There are no food restrictions with Invisalign since you remove the aligners for meals.
Invisalign Treatment Process for an Uneven Bite
The treatment process is straightforward, and a brief outline of what to expect is provided below. However, your plan may differ since your oral health needs are unique.
Step One: Consultation & Diagnostics
Your path to achieving a straighter and evenly aligned smile begins with a consultation with our Invisalign dentist.
This is an informal discussion where you can learn more about Invisalign and how it will fit into your lifestyle. It includes a dental exam to assess your suitability for treatment.
If our dentist recommends Invisalign, it will be a good choice. We can then take a digital 3D scan of your teeth. This creates a virtual model of your mouth and is used with digital photos and X-rays to plan your treatment step-by-step.
Treatment ensures every tooth is repositioned in the right order to achieve optimal results. Part of this process involves producing digital images that show how your teeth will look once they are repositioned.
You can view these images to see if Invisalign will provide the results you desire. If you approve the plan, we can create your computer-generated aligners.
Step Two: Invisalign Treatment
Once the aligners are ready, we can show you how to use them, including instructions on keeping them clean and general guidelines for wearing them daily. We will also inform you about how frequently to swap out your aligners for the next set, which is usually every 10 to 14 days.
It is essential to wear your aligners for at least 22 hours a day, but you can remove them for oral care and meals.
Step Three: Invisalign Checkups
We will need to see you every 6 to 8 weeks for a quick checkup to ensure your teeth are moving as predicted. If necessary, we can always tweak your treatment plan slightly to achieve optimal results.
Step Four: Invisalign Retainers
Once you have finished wearing your aligners, you move on to the final stage of your treatment, which is to begin wearing your Invisalign retainers. This is essential as the retainers ensure your teeth will not return to their original positions, which will occur if you fail to wear them properly.
Initially, you will need to wear your retainers all the time, just like your aligners, following the same guidelines for daily usage and oral care. After several months, you can begin gradually reducing your wear time, and our Invisalign dentist can discuss how to do this safely without impacting the results.
To maintain the results, it’s best to continue wearing your retainers overnight, ideally once or twice a week, for the rest of your life.
Invisalign is a versatile and effective system for correcting an uneven bite, and it’s most likely suitable for you. When you visit NYC Dentistry Center, we can assess your mouth and provide an expert and professional opinion on whether Invisalign is the best solution for your needs or if another option is preferable. Schedule your consultation today, and take the first step toward a healthier, beautifully aligned smile
NYC Dentistry Center6 E 45th St #801
New York, NY 10017
(45th St. btw 5th Ave / Madison Ave)
(212) 518-6096