Your “bite,” known in dentistry as occlusion, refers to the way your upper and lower teeth meet when you close your mouth. This contact is essential for daily functions such as chewing food, clear speech, and maintaining facial structure. A balanced bite ensures that forces generated during these activities are distributed evenly across your teeth. This article explores how and why a person’s bite can naturally change over time.
The Dynamic Nature of Your Bite
Your bite continuously changes throughout life. Over decades, teeth naturally wear down from chewing and biting forces. This physiological wear, known as attrition, flattens chewing surfaces and gradually shortens tooth length.
Changes in bone density also play a role in how your bite evolves. As people age, bone density can decrease throughout the body, including in the jawbones (maxilla and mandible). This can impact the foundation supporting your teeth.
Gum recession is another common age-related change that influences the bite. Although not directly caused by aging, its probability increases with age due to accumulated risk factors like gum disease and aggressive brushing. When gums recede, more of the tooth root becomes exposed, which can alter how teeth feel and function within the bite.
The overall facial structure and musculature also adapt with age. Jaw muscles can reduce in size and density. These changes, along with shifts in jaw alignment and bone structure, affect how your teeth fit together.
Common Ways Your Bite Can Alter
Tooth shifting and crowding are noticeable changes. Teeth are not rigidly fixed but are held in place by periodontal ligaments, allowing for micro-movements. As jawbones lose some density with age, teeth, particularly in the lower front, can gradually shift and become crowded, a phenomenon known as mesial drift. This can lead to new gaps or teeth overlapping, affecting alignment.
Tooth wear is another common alteration. Bruxism, or teeth grinding, can accelerate wear, leading to teeth that appear shorter, flattened, or even chipped. Dental erosion, caused by acids from diet or stomach issues, softens enamel, making teeth more susceptible to wear and damage. This can expose the underlying dentin, leading to increased sensitivity.
Jaw joint issues, specifically affecting the temporomandibular joints (TMJ), can also arise or worsen with age. Cartilage in the TMJ can deteriorate, and muscles and ligaments supporting the joint may weaken, leading to discomfort, stiffness, or altered jaw movement. These changes can contribute to pain, clicking, or popping sounds in the jaw, impacting the overall bite sensation.
Past dental work can influence, or be influenced by, ongoing bite changes. Fillings and crowns need to align precisely with your natural bite; an improper fit can cause discomfort, uneven pressure, and contribute to TMJ issues. Orthodontic treatment, while correcting alignment, requires lifelong retainer use as teeth have a natural tendency to shift back towards their original positions. Tooth loss also significantly impacts the bite, as adjacent teeth may drift into the empty space, altering alignment and creating an uneven bite.
Addressing Bite Changes
Recognizing problematic bite changes involves paying attention to oral and facial discomforts. You might experience pain or sensitivity in your teeth, especially when chewing, or notice that some teeth feel higher than others when you bite down. Jaw pain, stiffness, or clicking and popping sounds in your temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are common indicators. Frequent headaches, earaches, or even neck and shoulder pain can sometimes be linked to an uneven bite.
Consult a dentist if you notice persistent symptoms or feel your bite has changed. Dentists can assess alignment and identify potential issues early. They use methods like visual examination, articulating paper to check contact points, and sometimes X-rays or digital scans to understand how your teeth, jaw, and muscles function together.
While specific treatments vary based on the underlying cause and severity, general approaches to managing bite changes focus on restoring harmony and function. Dentists can make minor adjustments to tooth surfaces or existing dental work to balance the bite. For more significant misalignments, orthodontic solutions like braces or clear aligners might be recommended to reposition teeth. In some cases, lifestyle modifications, such as stress management or dietary changes, can also help alleviate bite-related discomfort.