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Our teeth are exquisitely sensitive
Our teeth are exquisitely sensitive
Think about how a strand of hair feels between your fingers. Now think about how that same hair feels between your teeth.
We can have up to 32 of them touching together, each with several points of contact, yet rarely does our brain allow us to clash them together by accident. Amazing isn’t it?
Occlusion is the act of the teeth coming together – the relationship between the upper and lower teeth and how they approach and slide over each other.
Our teeth are part of a larger system, which includes our jaw joints and the muscles of the head and neck that hold the system in place. The position of our teeth in relation to our jaw joints and the way they work on each other needs to be in harmony. When these positions are not coincidental, the disharmony, for some people, in certain situations, can cause harm to the weakest part of that system.
This harm may present as sensitive teeth, fractured teeth, worn teeth, non-vital teeth, gum recession and gum disease, clicky jaw joints or joint pain – and headaches due to muscle cramps that can feel as bad as migraines, and go undiagnosed for years.
As members of the British Society of Occlusal Studies, your Chichester dentist at Market House is trained to keep a good eye out for this insidious but pervasive problem and will advise and educate you accordingly. On occasion we may suggest treatment that can help mitigate future problems.
Additional Information
Understanding Occlusion and Problems with Occlusion
Problem 1:
Many of us have small errors in our bite, which cause us to put our teeth in a position that is most comfortable for our teeth, but not where our jaw joints want to seat. This means that the muscles that hold the system together are in constant use and under strain trying to balance the two differences.
Problem 2:
Many of us have small errors in the position of our teeth which means they cannot slide over each other harmoniously. If our tooth surfaces cannot slide over each other harmoniously, our brain is constantly having to keep our head and neck muscles active to avoid the surfaces which are causing the disharmony.
A bit like having a stone in a shoe, this won’t make you limp but it will make you strain different muscles.
We may clench and grind our teeth because of
a. Problems 1 and 2 above.
b. Stress or dissonance.
c. The Central Pattern Regulator in our brain tells us to grind
(and we cannot treat this!). We can, however, help you to mitigate its effects.
Life is bumpy! So when we go through more busy times, upsetting times, stressful times, or times of dissonance, we can clench or grind with more force. It is amazing how many people book appointments with cracked teeth, having been through a divorce the year before. Or people coming in with cracked or sensitive teeth, as they are about to go on holiday and have become uptight trying to get their affairs in order before they go, so life won’t be so stressful on return. A sick relative, a bereavement, hard times with the business, multiple decisions to make, moving house, children, changing job or career.
Additional Information
Understanding Occlusion and Problems with Occlusion
Dena Masonso much pain over Christmas ending in A&E desperate for a dentist due to my abscess that infected through to my sinus. My regular dentist could not extract my tooth however referred me here. There are no words to say how impressed I am and so very grateful to Roger James that rushed me as soon as possible to his colleague Dr murray, that very day. I am a very nervous person when my teeth are involved, and having a large extraction especially very very worrying. My experience on Wednesday was utterly incredible. I did not feel a thing, and I felt Dr murray was such a perfectionist with making sure ALL the Infection was gone, I cannot tell you all how relieved I felt. I have booked my next appointment for Roger to discuss my future plans. My way forward is an implant and I trust this practice implicitly. Thank you all for making me feel safe and most of all pain free.
Sandra ThurlowMy teeth have never looked or felt so good as they do today after Michelle worked her magic.
Geraldine DawsonWonderful treatment; a brilliant dentist!
Gary SmithAn exceptional experience. I had 3 implants and other work done over the course of 1 year. The whole practice has excellent very friendly and helpful people. I would highly recommend Market House Dental Practice to anyone wanting a regular dentist or for any specialized treatment.
John FollowsToday, I visited Market House Surgery for the first time, and My Murray for the second, the first when he practiced in Rustington. I would like to thank all the team for their friendliness and professionalism, and, in particular, Mr Murray. I needed a further extraction and was dismayed when my dentist advised he had moved, having had, for the first time in my life, a completely painless extraction some two years ago. She kindly said that if he was on their list for referrals, then she would refer me. Fortunately for me he was, and today was a further masterclass in his art with a second pain free treatment, Mr Murray, Sir, you are a true professional in every sense, and a guy at the very top of your game. May I thoroughly commend your services to all, and I thank you and your team sincerely. John Follows
Bob IngramHave been with this practice for many years and have always received the best care to keep my ageing gnashers in tip top condition!!!! The ground crew are always friendly and efficient, even more so now with the CoVid19 restrictions. Roger is very thorough, spends a great deal of time with inspections and explains any treatment required with the aid of x-rays and photos. I have previously and recently had a lot of work done and have received excellent care and service. No more nerves, recline the chair, request your favourite music and relax in the knowledge you will leave feeling a lot better!!! Top marks all round to everyone at Market House.
Topsy BradshawA very professional, friendly and efficient dental practice. Roger Scholes and his staff provide an excellent service. I cannot fault the attention to detail throughout my two implant procedures which were not always straightforward. I have no hesitation in recommending Market House Dental Practice.
Timothy MorleyRoger Scholes has done some exceptional work. I can now chew on both sides without discomfort for the first time since a teenager and can smile without self-consciousness. Roger takes great care in thinking through the most appropriate treatment and explaining options. He is supported by a most helpful and friendly team. I can thoroughly recommend Market House Dental Practice
Ruth MooreI cannot recommend this dentist practice enough. I was really quite apprehensive about the course of treatment that was being carried out, but Roger Scholes and his colleagues made me feel completely at ease the whole time. There were plenty of procedures put in place to deal with the “new normal” and I am so happy with the results of the treatment!
Ode to Bruxism
“I don’t believe that worn-down teeth is caused by chewing bread and meat, but rather comes from state of mind in persons of the bruxic kind who, with a worn and troubled head take all their problems off to bed and rather than attempt to treat them, they literally try to eat them.”
Dissonance & the stiff British upper lip
Dissonance & the stiff British upper lip
If the seating of our jaw joint is not coincident with the position of our teeth and if the movement of our teeth over each other is not ideal, during these bumpy times in life, we can do ourselves quite a bit of damage.
We dentists get it too!
Our jaw muscles can exert pressures that can destroy our teeth. The only reason they don’t, is because our brain’s protective centers prevent us from doing so. When we are asleep, these protective mechanisms are switched off and so we can exert far more force.
Think of it like this…
A car tyre is around 35psi and a bicycle tyre around 50psi
50psi: When eating some food, we can exert a pressure of up to 50psi
150psi: At your angriest during the day, you may exert up to 150psi when clenching
950psi: At night, you may exert up to 950psi – and for 5 hours or more!
So you can see how we may cause more damage in a night than we might otherwise do in a whole year!
Bruxism is the dentist’s term for this activity.
Remember, clenching (which makes no noise at all) can cause more trouble than grinding!
Start your journey to a healthier smile today
- Our passion in dentistry is quality of care
- Free 15 minute consultation within 24 hours of contacting us
- Nervous about pain? We offer sedation for all treatments
Different symptoms for different people
If you have a bite error, when you bite together, lots of the muscles that control the jaw are working in an uncoordinated way, all at the same time, which tires them very quickly. This can then lead to pain in your head or jaw – like a cramp pain…or headache.
Where there is no bite error (or if we have eliminated it for you with some minor bite adjustment treatment), the teeth can all meet together in harmony, and in harmony with the jaw joints too. This means the jaw muscles can all shut down and relax too.
An error in the bite can cause different symptoms to different people. Some of these include:
- Tooth clenching or grinding (Bruxism)
- Tooth sensitivity or pain
- Recurrent tooth fracture
- Headaches that can be as bad as migraines, which go undiagnosed for years
Diagnosing this as a cause of pain can be extremely complex. It can present with very similar features to other conditions. To help diagnose the cause of the pain, we may make you a small plastic jig that fits over the upper front teeth to wear for a couple of weeks. If this helps to relieve the symptoms, we may consider it appropriate between us, to move on to more definitive treatment options.
Different symptoms for different people
Cause of bite problems
Cause of bite problems
There are a great variety of causes. However some of the more common ones are:
- We were born or destined to develop that way .
- They wore through wear and tear that way.
- Restorative dentistry (fillings, crowns, bridges and dentures) carried out over the years, without too much planning.
- Orthodontic Treatment. An orthodontist may put our teeth where they look nice, rather than where they need to be functionally. This can result in bite problems too.
Treatment of Bite Problems or a Clench and Grind Habit
Your dentist may choose to address your bite problem with one or all of the following:
- A bite guard to protect the teeth from future damage
- Minor additions to certain teeth to restore harmony
- Minor adjustments to certain teeth to restore harmony
For some people, for an unknown neurological reason, the Central Pattern Regulator in their brain just tells them to grind their teeth and nothing can stop them. For these people, we cannot do anything to stop the habit, but we can take steps to help mitigate the damage to the teeth and jaw joints.
Bite guard or restorative dentistry
Bite Guard
A bite guard can be made from acrylic that creates a false platform between your teeth. This platform ensures that when your teeth close down upon it, your jaw joints are in their most comfortable, balanced position and when you move from that position, the contacts between the acrylic and the teeth have been made ideal. This allows the muscles of the head and neck to relax, as harmony is restored. As the muscles relax and the brain trusts the balanced contacts again, it suddenly releases all the muscle tension. It is a quite striking result, every time we see it. We call this neuromuscular release and we look for it at the end of our treatments, to ensure we have achieved harmony.
Restorative Dentistry
If a patient requires a lot of work on their teeth, it may be desirable to correct any of these bite errors, rather than copying them in to the new work. So as long as the jaw joints are healthy, a minor bite adjustment treatment can be carried out before replacement of any old fillings or crowns. This will ensure your new work is more durable and lasts longer.
After the bite has been corrected and is stable, the rest of the treatment can be carried out over as many months or years as necessary.
Come in for a consultation to determine the best treatment for you. Contact us today!
Bite guard or restorative dentistry
Meet your dentist
Roger-James Scholes
Roger-James represents the 3rd generation of dentists at Market House and continues the work of his father’s 40 years of care.
Roger graduated from King’s College, London and has been working in general dentistry for over 20 years. One of his greatest pleasures is restoring mouths which have run into difficulty over the years and seeing the transformation in patient confidence, health and vibrancy. Having been mentored by previous skilled and caring dentists at the practice and consultant specialists, he spends much of his time carrying out complex restorative cases. Arriving at creative solutions with the patient to optimise their oral health for their lifestyle and stage of life.
Meet your dentist
Roger-James Scholes
GDC REGISTRATION: 79807
Are you a nervous patient?
We offer IV sedation
Does the thought of sitting in the dentists chair make you anxious and stressed?
We understand going to see the dentist can be a worrying experience for many people. As a Chichester dental practice, we have built a reputation for treating nervous patients with our kind and gentle techniques.
State-of-the-art technology
State-of-the-art technology
At Market House Dental Practice we are continually investing in state-of-the-art modern technologies to make your experience with us more comfortable and allow us to look after you in the most effective way.
If we need a detailed scan of your entire jaw, we use a digital 3D 3-in-1 scanner system; the Vatech Pax-i3D Smart CBCT. Together this enables us to view instant digital images of your entire jaw in 3D, totally pain-free and similar to how you would view an MRI scan, with no need for multiple scans.
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