Cosmetic Dentistry

Why I Reset the Bite Before I Build a Single Veneer

If your bite is off, veneers alone won't fix the grinding. Here's why I correct the bite first and how it's done.

Key Takeaways

·Most grinding traces back to a bite that does not fit properly.
·Veneers built on an unstable bite are at risk of chipping or failure.
·Bite correction is diagnosed and treated before veneer placement.
·A stable foundation is what makes cosmetic work last.

A lot of grinding and clenching traces back to one thing: a bite that doesn't fit correctly. And if I built veneers without addressing that, I'd be putting beautiful teeth on top of an unstable foundation.

How a Bad Bite Causes Grinding

When I check which tooth touches first and you feel that mashing, sliding sensation, that tells me the bite is off, and it's probably been that way your whole life. No one ever died from having a bad tooth, but it's one of the culprits behind teeth grinding.

Your bite is supposed to seat in a certain position, but if the teeth don't fit there, the jaw can't hold it. So your jaw trains itself to go to a secondary position, and it has to grind its way to get there. That's the grinding, your jaw hunting for a place to rest that the teeth won't let it find.

Resetting It First

Think of worn-down teeth like two nickels rubbing over each other, flat and smooth, tracking evenly because that's how they've worn. Teeth are actually supposed to have a lock-and-key fit. With veneer restorations, we wrap the porcelain over the chewing surface and rebuild the anatomy, the hills and valleys, the cusps and fossa, to prop the bite back up and give you the stability you lost a long time ago.

To do that accurately, I record the correct skeletal position of your jaw without the teeth influencing it, using an index, or jig, that captures the bite imprint top and bottom. We use that to reset the bite so that when your jaw hinges closed, it hits evenly, instead of hunting around for a position.

The payoff is a bite that's not only more stable but more comfortable, and it helps reduce the effects of the grinding and clenching that caused the wear in the first place.

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