Should occlusal equilibration be used at all?
Occlusal equilibration can often help avoid the need for more complex treatments. Unfortunately, a rift among dental educators, coupled with confusion in the literature over its safety and effectiveness, leaves many dental professionals questioning whether occlusal equilibration should be used at all.
What is occlusal equilibration for jaw displacement?
This forced jaw displacement can lead to painful jaw muscle hyperactivity, excessive tooth wear, fractured cusps, and a myriad of other signs and symptoms from sore teeth to headaches. Occlusal equilibration is often the most conservative, time effective, cost effective way to achieve an occlusion free of deflective interferences.
What is occlusal adjustment?
Occlusal adjustment is the scientific grinding and/or reshaping of the occluding surfaces of teeth to develop and improve upon their harmonious relationships between each other, their supporting structures, muscles of mastication, and temporomandibular joints. This procedure is reported as either being limited (in scope) or complete.
Can occlusal adjustment reduce the incidence of temporomandibular dysfunction?
Occlusal adjustment aimed at removing presumed structural risks was significantly associated with a reduced incidence of TMD over a 4-year follow-up (Kirveskari et al 1998). Anthony Au, Iven Klineberg, in Functional Occlusion in Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics, 2016
How long does occlusal equilibration take?
What's involved? I do occlusal equilibration by selectively and precisely reshaping the tiny bumps and valleys of the biting surfaces of individual teeth. Typically, the treatment is done in three visits ~ 2 weeks apart. The first visit is 1 hour, the second visit is 45 minutes and the third visit is 30 minutes.
How much does occlusal equilibration cost?
The cost of occlusal equilibration, which involves reshaping multiple teeth and balancing your bite, can range from $650 to $1,500, which should also include follow-up care. Talk to a dentist if you're concerned about the cost. It's possible that your dental insurance may cover part of it.
Does occlusal equilibration hurt?
Occlusal equilibration is pain-free and generally does not require anesthesia. It's much quicker and more affordable than orthodontics, as it does not require any shifting of your teeth. Your smile will look the same and, after a few days, should feel completely normal.
Is occlusal adjustment necessary?
Correcting a misaligned bite is one of the steps we take when we learn about a patient's TMJ symptoms. An occlusal adjustment may also be necessary when you have undergone restorative procedures, such as a crown or filling, since the teeth may not come together properly after the tooth restoration is placed.
Is occlusal adjustment safe?
Following proper diagnosis and treatment planning, occlusal equilibration can provide selected patients with the most conservative, predictable, and safest treatment possible.
Can a dentist adjust your bite?
Occlusal adjustment is a dental procedure wherein the biting surface of teeth is reshaped. This helps in reducing spots of pressure as you bring the teeth of upper and lower jaws together.
How do you bite with equilibrate?
Equilibration involves reshaping of the teeth where the interfering biting surfaces are located. The jaw can then move properly while eating and close correctly into its position in the temporomandibular joint at rest.
What is periodontal occlusal equilibration?
Occlusal equilibration involves minor reshaping of the teeth to allow them to fit together like puzzle pieces when the jaw joint is seated completely in the socket.
What is dental occlusal equilibration?
The occlusal equilibration is the mechanical adjustment of your teeth, dentures, bridges, crowns, fillings or other oral appliances to allow your lower jaw to function effectively with a minimal amount of strain to the joint, muscles and teeth.
How long does it take for a bite adjustment to settle?
Your dentist will adjust your bite on that tooth and symptoms should resolve. Your dentist will use marking paper to identify which area to adjust. Depending on how long you were going around with this filling being high, it takes about 10-14 days for full resolution of symptoms.
Can your bite change as you age?
Deepening of the Bite An excessive overbite, or deep bite, is when the upper teeth overlap the lower teeth by a large degree. The bite can deepen with age. Teeth grinding is often a culprit behind the problem, as is a missing lower tooth and shrinkage of the lower jaw.
What happens if your bite is off?
When your bite is out of alignment, it's possible for the muscles that move your jaw to become strained and tense. This tension can cause headaches that range from mild to severe and have the potential to impact your everyday life. If you experience headaches, don't rule out your jaw as the culprit.
Why do occlusal surfaces become flat?
This may occur because of the aging process or abnormal function of the teeth. impaction.
Is occlusal factor correction part of orthodontic treatment?
The correction of occlusal factors should be a part of orthodontic treatment . The periods of retention will be shortened in certain cases. Future periodontal troubles will be prevented. Prevention is the keynote of dentistry today.
What is occlusal adjustment?
Occlusal adjustment is the scientific grinding and/or reshaping of the occluding surfaces of teeth to develop and improve upon their harmonious relationships between each other , their supporting structures, muscles of mastication, and temporomandibular joints.
What is the purpose of occlusion analysis?
The primary purpose of occlusion analysis is to reveal interferences in articulation which cannot be observed directly in the mouth.
What is occlusal adjustment?
Occlusal adjustment, also referred to as occlusal equilibration, involves selective grinding of tooth surfaces with the goal of improving tooth contact patterns and the associated masticatory muscle response.
What is the short term control of salivary flow?
The short-term control of salivary flow is often helpful in dental procedures (e.g., occlusal adjustment and impression taking). A dramatic reduction of the secretory function of the salivary glands can be achieved by blockade of acetylcholine at muscarinic receptor sites.
What is subluxation in dentistry?
Subluxation: Loosening of the involved tooth without displacement. Dentist will treat by occlusal adjustment of the tooth with recommendation of soft diet. Intrusion: Tooth is displaced apically into the alveolar process. If root formation is incomplete, treat by allowing the tooth to reerupt over several months.
Is occlusal therapy reversible?
Clinical trials have shown that occlusal therapy including occlusal adjustments, prosthodontic treatment, and orthodontcis has an unpredictable effect on the signs and symptoms of TMD, and it is not superior to reversible treatments.