Stable Bite – Functional Rehabilitation

Not only do your teeth have to look great but also need to function fantastically in your day to day life.

They have to be built into a stable position and be able to withstand the chewing motion and forces provided on the teeth.  Different restorations will behave differently and will have different limitations.  Your final work will need to be set in a position which allows the jaw and muscles to settle and be in a relaxed position at rest.  Any functional limitations will also be discussed.

Sometimes people have had past dentistry or incomplete work which has caused some interferences in this stable position.  Over time we will learn to accommodate this in our day to day movements. This is done but clenching, rocking the jaw to a more comfortable position or sliding the jaw to a unintentional position. These movements can lead to other problems which are most of the time not located at the source of the problem. 

These can include:

• Jaw aches
• Waking headaches
• Wear or chipping of fillings and restorations.
• Breaking teeth
• Wear on front teeth

To assess and treat these problems it requires an in depth understanding or how these elements work together on your joint and muscle systems.  For example if you have a high spot on a back tooth that is causing wear of your front teeth, we could restore them and create a beautiful smile with porcelain veneers. But we must also treat the cause of the problem or the same wear would just continue.