What is Malocclusion? Understanding Your Bad Bite Through Holistic Health

Ever heard someone mention having a “bad bite”? In dentistry, this common issue is formally known as malocclusion. Simply put, it means your teeth are not correctly aligned when your mouth is closed. It’s more than just a cosmetic concern; malocclusion can affect everything from how you chew and speak to your long-term dental health.

What Exactly is Malocclusion?

The term malocclusion comes from Latin: mal, meaning bad or poor, and occlusion, meaning the act of closing or the way the teeth meet. When you bite down, the teeth of your upper jaw should slightly overlap the teeth of your lower jaw. The points of the molars should fit into the grooves of the opposing molars, ensuring that the force of chewing is distributed evenly. When this ideal alignment is off, it constitutes malocclusion. This misalignment can range from minor crowding to severe discrepancies in jaw position.

Common Types of Malocclusion

Malocclusions are generally categorized using the Angle classification system, which focuses on the relationship between the upper and lower first permanent molars. It is easier to understand the condition by looking at the specific ways the teeth don’t fit together:

• Crowding: This occurs when teeth are too close together, twisted, or overlapping because there isn’t enough room in the jaw.
• Open Spacing: Sometimes there are gaps between teeth, or there are missing teeth.
• Overbite (Class II): The upper front teeth excessively overlap the lower front teeth. This is sometimes called “buck teeth.”
• Underbite (Class III): The lower jaw and teeth protrude past the upper front teeth.
• Crossbite: This is when some upper teeth bite on the inside of the lower teeth (instead of the outside). A crossbite can affect a single tooth or groups of teeth.
• Open Bite: The front teeth (or sometimes the back teeth) do not touch when the mouth is closed. This leaves a vertical opening.

What Causes Malocclusion?

A combination of factors can cause malocclusion:

• Heredity: Jaw size and tooth size are inherited. If a person inherits a small jaw and large teeth (or vice-versa), malocclusion is highly likely.
• Childhood Habits: Extended use of a pacifier or bottle, chronic thumb-sucking past the age of four, or tongue thrusting can put pressure on the teeth and misshape the jaw.
• Tooth Loss: Premature loss of baby teeth or permanent teeth can cause neighboring teeth to shift into the space left by the missing tooth.
• Injury: Trauma to the jaw can result in misalignment.

Why Malocclusion Matters (The Health Connection)

Ignoring a significant malocclusion can lead to various complications:

• Chewing and Digestion: Severe misalignment can make it difficult to bite and chew food correctly, thereby making it difficult to swallow some foods and interfering with digestion.
• Speech Issues: An abnormal bite can sometimes interfere with speaking and cause lisps or other speech impediments.
• Increased Wear and Fracture: When teeth meet unevenly, some teeth can experience excessive pressure, leading to abnormal wear, chipping, or fractures.
• Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD): Malocclusion is often a contributing factor to jaw joint issues, resulting in pain, headaches, and difficulty moving the jaw.
• Oral Hygiene: Crowded or overlapping teeth are much harder to brush and floss, making them more susceptible to tooth decay and gum disease.

Treatment Options

Fortunately, malocclusion is highly treatable. The goal of treatment is to align the teeth and jaws to improve both function and aesthetics. Treatment options may include:

• Occlusal Adjustment (Bite Correction): This procedure involves the dentist selectively reshaping the biting surfaces of certain teeth to eliminate high spots and interferences. This helps the teeth meet more evenly and allows the jaw to settle into a more relaxed position, often providing relief from muscle strain and TMD symptoms. This is a standard treatment that Dr. Isaac Comfortes performs in his own office. (Read more below.)
• Orthodontics (Braces/Aligners): This is a standard treatment, using fixed braces or  Invisalign to gently shift teeth into their correct positions over time. Dr. Comfortes provides Invisalign treatment in his own office.
• Tooth Removal (Extraction): Sometimes a tooth needs to be extracted to create enough space for the remaining teeth to be straightened.
• Custom Nightguards: Dr. Comfortes can make a custom-fit nightguard to keep your teeth apart during the night. Made of smooth, hard acrylic, it allows your teeth to slide along its smooth surface while eliminating clenching and grinding tooth wear, relaxing jaw muscles, and stabilizing the jaw joint. Wearing a custom nightguard is a standard therapy for Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD). Once you start wearing a custom nightguard you will experience more restorative sleep. If you have obstructive sleep apnea, Dr. Comfortes can make you a custom oral appliance that opens your airway as you sleep and also protects your teeth and jaw muscles from stress.
• In Rare Cases, Surgery: For very severe skeletal discrepancies (large overbites or underbites), orthognathic surgery may be required to reposition the jaw bones. In these situations, Dr. Comfortes refers patients to a preferred oral maxillofacial surgeon and then collaborates with the specialist to ensure your receive the highest standard of care.

How Dr. Isaac Comfortes Performs an Occlusal Adjustment

Occlusal adjustment, sometimes called bite balancing (or equilibration) is a precise procedure performed entirely in the dental chair. It is a painless process that typically requires only minor changes to the surfaces of your teeth to achieve a significant improvement in bite harmony and muscle relaxation.

1. Identifying Interference Points

The first step is to accurately locate the exact spots on your teeth that are hitting too hard or interfering with the smooth movement of your jaw. Dr. Comfortes will have you bite down and lightly grind your teeth on a thin piece of brightly colored articulating paper. This paper transfers a precise, visible mark (usually blue or red) onto the areas of the enamel where the teeth meet first and hardest, highlighting the “high spots” and interferences that need modification.

2. Selective Reshaping

Once the interference points are clearly marked, the actual adjustment begins. Dr. Comfortes uses a fine, specialized dental bur to gently and subtly reshape the marked enamel. The goal is not to change the fundamental shape of the tooth, but to eliminate the small areas of contact that are disrupting the bite’s balance. The enamel removed is minimal, similar to the amount of wear your teeth might experience over a long period.

The procedure continues until the bite marks indicate that the teeth meet evenly across the arch, and the jaw can close into a comfortable, relaxed position without undue strain on the muscles.

3. Verification and Polish

Dr. Comfortes will check the adjustment multiple times using the articulating paper to confirm that a smooth, balanced bite has been achieved in all directions (side-to-side and front-to-back movements). After the ideal bite is established, the adjusted surfaces are polished to make them smooth.

Encino, California, Area Residents Put Their Trust in Dr. Isaac Comfortes

Dr. Comfortes has earned a reputation for providing relaxing dental experiences by expertly combining knowledge, skill, and compassion to address complex dental problems as gently as possible. With a genuine care for the people he serves, he partners with them in finding solutions that are right for them. As a leader in the Oral Systemic Health Movement, he is highly conscious of each patient’s holistic well-being. If your bite feels off or your jaw muscles feel tender, he is a resource you will not regret! 

You deserve a comfortable bite. Call (818) 990-9101 to schedule an oral health evaluation and consultation with Dr. Isaac Comfortes today. During your appointment, he will listen to your concerns, thoroughly examine you in an unhurried way, and then discuss your oral health circumstances and what is possible for you.