Why Does My Bite Feel Uneven?

Do you ever feel like your bite is uneven? Maybe you feel like one tooth touches before the others, or your teeth aren’t fully making contact on one side.

If you do, you aren’t alone. An uneven bite is a common problem. A problem many people aren’t even aware they have until they develop pain in their teeth or jaw.

When you have an untreated uneven bite, your jaw has to shift to get the teeth to touch or chew properly. This can eventually cause your jaw and teeth to be sore and may lead to permanent damage to the jaw joint and teeth that touch first.

If left untreated for too long, the potential for bone loss and eventual tooth loss increases, too.

Not to mention the cosmetic appearance of shifted teeth and gaps between your teeth.

But there is hope! There are many treatments available that can help fix an uneven bite and restore your mouth to full function so you can chew and smile with confidence.

In this blog post, we’re going to meet Rachel from Seattle, who suffered from an uneven bite before finding Smile Ballard’s own Seattle dentist, Dr. Dominick Curalli.

Meet Rachel

Rachel from Seattle came to see Dr. Curalli after having some retainers made at another office. These retainers altered her bite.

She tried orthodontics, but that just made things worse. Her bite still felt off, she developed gaps between some of her back teeth, and she wasn’t happy with how her front teeth looked.

What prevented her from getting treatment?

Rachel’s biggest challenge was figuring out why her bite felt off and not knowing how to fix the problem. Where do you start when you don’t know what’s wrong?

All she knew was that her bite didn’t feel right to her.

The solution

After meeting Dr. Curalli, he recommended that Rachel visit an oral medicine specialist. This doctor determined that Rachel’s back teeth were too short. She had to clench extra hard to get them to touch, which caused her pain and, over time, could have led to jaw joint problems.

So now Dr. Curalli knew what the problem was, but how can a dentist tell where your bite is off?

He made models of her teeth and put them on an articulator. An articulator is an adjustable frame that mimics the movements of a human jaw.

After Rachel’s models were mounted, Dr. Curalli could study her bite and see her jaw’s different movements and which teeth touched during these movements.

Once Dr. Curalli understood how Rachel’s teeth were coming together, he built up the affected teeth with wax to make them taller, allowing them to touch more easily.

He also used the wax mock-up to change the shape of her front teeth.

Rachel’s relief

Using comprehensive dentistry, Seattle dentist Dr. Curalli recreated his changes on Rachel’s models in her mouth. He used composite resin commonly used for tooth-colored fillings. After carefully matching her shade, he built up her back teeth, closed all the gaps, and changed the shape of her front teeth.

When the procedure was finished, Rachel could touch on all her back teeth evenly, giving her tremendous relief from a problem that spanned over two years.

These changes altered her life by restoring her bite to its full function, and the new shape of her front teeth made her feel youthful and confident!

See Rachel’s amazing transformation:

Before and after photos of Rachel

If your bite feels off, there’s hope

Using Rachel’s case study as a guide, you can see that there is hope for everyone if you feel like your bite is off.

You may have been told that there is nothing your dentist can do or that there is nothing wrong, leaving you feeling hopeless and tired of looking for answers.

Maybe you’ve tried other methods to get some relief without any success. So how do you find the relief you’ve been searching for?

The key is finding the right professional for you.

Tips to finding the right dentist

Here are some tips for finding the right dentist for you:

  • Make a list of important things for you: Do they take your insurance? Do they use the latest technology? Does the office staff make you feel welcomed and reassured?
  • Get referrals from friends, family, and coworkers.
  • Look online for ratings and reviews on the dentist you’re considering.
  • Visit the dental office’s website to get a feel for the office atmosphere.
  • Once you have narrowed down your options, call the offices and ask to schedule a consultation.
  • Make a list of all your questions ahead of time and bring them to your appointment.

During and after your visit, make notes about how each dentist made you feel and how well they understood your problem.

Why choose Dr. Dominick Curalli?

Dr. Dominick Curalli of Smile Ballard seeks to understand every patients’ unique needs and conditions who walks through his doors. He enjoys getting to know you on a personal level.

After dental school, Dr. Curalli joined the Army and spent four years as an army dentist. During that time, he completed Advanced General Dentistry training and was deployed with the 4th Infantry Division to Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

This experience gave him the knowledge to evaluate problems and work to solve them quickly and efficiently. This means he will work to find a solution to all your dental needs just like he did with Rachel.

You can see many of Dr. Curalli’s smile transformations in his Smile Gallery.

If you’re ready to find answers and seek relief, schedule an appointment and experience the Smile Ballard difference!

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Smile Ballard is located in Ballard…Open a new window to Google Maps for directions…, a unique community of Seattle that consists of all generations. We welcome patients of all ages from the communities of Greenwood, Queen Anne, Fremont, West Seattle, Northgate, Shoreline, and more.