Bad Bites Harm More Than Smiles

Five Long-Term Health Consequences If Your Teeth Don’t Line Up Right

With May being National Smile Month, people with significant bite issues aren’t always that enthused about showing off their pearly whites.

Maybe it’s crooked teeth that have thrown your bite out of whack.

Maybe you suffered an injury, or perhaps the cause is dental work that wasn’t quite right.

Whatever the reason behind a bad bite, pain is usually the result.

“And that’s too bad because having a great smile can improve a person’sself esteem and confidence,” says Dr. Jamie Reynolds, an orthodontist, national and international lecturer and author of “World Class Smiles Made in Detroit.” 

A bad bite leads to more than a reluctance to smile, Reynolds says. Overall dental health is affected. Here are a few of the long-term consequences when teeth don’t line up quite right:

•  Tooth pain. A bite that is off by a fraction of a millimeter can cause tooth pain. Improperly adjusted dental work can irritate a nerve. Tooth pain from these factors usually happens quickly and is usually the result of trauma or dental work. It’s important to have the eventual position of the tooth corrected to prevent long-term issues.
• Jaw-joint (TMJ) pain. The jaw joint is made up of two bony parts: the temporal bone in the skull and the lower jaw (the mandible). Put the temporal bone and the mandible together, and you get the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Occasionally trauma to the joint can create a crackling or popping sound when you open or close your jaw. For most people, that’s no big deal, Reynolds says. But, if you have a hard time opening your jaw, can’t open it at all, or have significant pain during jaw movement, you should be evaluated for TMJ problems.
• Muscular pain. Muscular pain is the most common finding in people with jaw-joint problems and is largely responsible for the pain associated with many headaches.
• Tooth wear. Your teeth function as a chewing machine. And, just as with any other machine, the parts need to fit together properly to prevent premature wear. Over time, teeth can wear so that the inside part of the tooth becomes exposed. Once tooth wear progresses to a certain point, significant dental work and orthodontics are necessary to correct the problem. Preventing significant tooth wear before it happens is the best approach.
• Gum wear. Not only will teeth that aren’t aligned correctly begin to wear prematurely, the gums and supporting bone will, too. Notching of the teeth near the gum line and wearing away of the gum tissue are common in people over 30 whose bite is off. Gum recession and tooth notching can be painful as well as difficult and expensive to fix. Again, prevention by correcting your bite early is the best option.

Some people’s bad bites catch up with them when they are in their 20s. For others those bad bites won’t create significant problems until they are in their 60s.

“But eventually your bite will catch up with you,” Reynolds says. “Dealing with bite issues proactively is much less painful, less labor intensive, and less expensive than dealing with bite problems later.”

About Dr. Jamie Reynolds

Dr. Jamie Reynolds is recognized on an annual basis as one of the top orthodontists in metro Detroit. His book, “World Class Smiles Made in Detroit,” puts an emphasis on the many benefits of having a great smile. Reynolds – who is a national and international lecturer on high-tech digital orthodontics and practice management – attended the University of Michigan for both his undergrad education and dental studies, and did his orthodontic residency at the University of Detroit-Mercy.