Occlusal Adjustment in Arab, AL

Occlusal or bite adjustments are procedures performed to remove the interferences from your teeth to ensure the correct alignment of teeth. They treat various conditions such as misaligned teeth, improper bite, and crooked teeth. Occlusal adjustments can prevent severe complications like bruxism, malocclusion, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), and many more. At North Alabama Smiles, we look for signs of misalignment during your regular dental exams and, if necessary, perform occlusal adjustments.

Why Is Occlusal Adjustment Essential?

There are some reasons for the need for occlusal adjustment, including:

  • Restorative procedures like dental crowns, bridges, and tooth extractions can cause certain hindrances in your mouth. An occlusal adjustment can correct or remove those hindrances to re-establish a perfect bite.
  • If one or several of your teeth get fractured, an occlusal adjustment may be needed to align them with the other teeth to reduce the impact.
  • Occlusal adjustment is also necessary before you undergo several prosthetic changes or orthodontic treatments, like Invisalign aligners or braces.
  • Misaligned teeth can lead to malocclusion, a condition that can lead to severe long-term complications. It can cause headaches, tooth pain, swelling, earaches, persistent teeth grinding, bruxism, etc. Teeth grinding caused by malocclusion can also lead to sleep disorders, fractured or chipped teeth, and other issues. Dental occlusal adjustment can treat the problems caused by a malocclusion. 
  • Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) is a common disorder in which your jawbones are misaligned, and they often ache or make a popping sound. Occlusal adjustment can rectify this problem.

How Is an Occlusal Adjustment Made?

To begin the procedure, you will have to close your teeth and bite down on a piece of articulating paper. This will allow us to see which side of your teeth are making contact. 

Then we will utilize refined diamond or carbide burs to trim some of the enamel structure from the teeth' sides. This is done to make sure both sides have an equal length of crowns. We may shave the teeth in the shape of a cusp tip or flatten them based on the location.

In a healthy bite, the frontal teeth should make limited contact compared to the posterior teeth. As such, we will use the same articulating paper to determine if your frontal and posterior teeth are aligned. Based on that, we will shave the relevant teeth to ensure bite alignment.

If you want to know more about occlusal adjustment treatments, visit North Alabama Smiles at 55 Golfview Dr NE #5467, Arab, AL 35016. You can also reach us at (256) 586-8100.

Location

55 Golfview Dr NE #5467, Arab, AL 35016

Office Hours

MON - THU 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

FRI By appointments only.

SAT - SUN Closed

Get in Touch

Email: john@drjohnyork.com

Phone: (256) 586-8100