Many people with an overbite wonder if this condition can lead to jaw pain or other health issues. What are some of the most common problems people can experience with an untreated overbite? Here’s how an overbite can affect your jaw and overall health.

An Overbite Can Increase Your Risk of Gum Disease

Research shows that people who have overbites may be more at risk of developing gum disease [1]. The reason for this isn’t clear, although studies have found that people with overbites have deeper periodontal pockets, which are associated with gum disease, and more bone loss, which is also associated with gum disease.

The Link Between Overbites and Jaw Pain

If you have an overbite and experience jaw pain, you’re likely wondering if the overbite is the cause. However, research shows that overbites are generally not risk factors for developing temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, meaning if you experience clicking or popping noises in your jaw or muscle tension, an overbite may not be the primary cause [2].

However, an overbite can lead to uneven tooth wear and even soft tissue trauma in the mouth [3]. When the teeth don’t fit together properly, people can experience unusual enamel wear, which can lead to tooth sensitivity, discoloration, and even an increased risk for cavities.

Other Health Issues Linked to Overbites

Aside from jaw pain, an overbite can be associated with other health concerns, including:

• Breathing problems. There is some evidence that malocclusions such as overbite can lead to sleep-disordered breathing, including disorders like sleep apnea [4].

• Digestive issues. It’s also possible that severe overbites can lead to digestive problems because people can’t chew as well and may swallow larger food particles that can be difficult to digest [5].

As you can see, an untreated overbite has the potential to lead to more than cosmetic concerns in some patients.

Do You Have an Overbite?

Treatment is available for overbites, and they are one of the simpler bite problems to fix. If you’re experiencing jaw pain, tooth sensitivity, or even digestive issues that you believe may be linked to your overbite, don’t hesitate to contact your dentist. They can provide a thorough evaluation and personalized treatment options to help you achieve a healthier smile and relieve any associated health concerns.

Sources:

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8117363/
2. https://files.jofph.com/files/article/20231222-633/pdf/jop_19_3_Hirsch_5.pdf
3. https://www.nature.com/articles/sj.bdj.2014.953
4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7954063/
5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9160782/

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While most people keep an eye out for typical pregnancy symptoms such as fatigue or a missed period, your teeth and gums might be more telling than you think. Is teeth and gum sensitivity a symptom of pregnancy? The answer might surprise you!

Hormones Can Alter Your Level of Teeth and Gum Sensitivity

Hormones are powerful messengers in the body, and yes, they can make your teeth and gums more sensitive! Some mothers-to-be go through periods of teeth and gum sensitivity, while others may have it consistently throughout their pregnancy.

In fact, hormones can even alter the way your body responds to a potential infection, such as the infection that can come with gum disease. These changes can cause sensitive teeth and gums, which should always be checked out by a dentist to protect you and your little one!

Increased Circulation Can Cause Swollen Gums

Most women will experience an increase in blood circulation during pregnancy in order to provide the developing fetus with nutrients during this essential time. However, this increased blood flow can cause your gum tissue to swell and become sensitive as well.

You may find that brushing your teeth is painful, or, you may have sensitivity to hot and cold foods where you didn’t have sensitivity before. However, swollen gums can also be a symptom of gum disease, so if this symptom persists, don’t hesitate to follow up with your dentist.

Many Expecting Mothers Are Prone to Gum Disease

Pregnant women are more susceptible to gum disease due to their fluctuating hormones. If you’re vomiting as a result of the morning sickness that the majority of new mothers experience, your teeth can be negatively impacted by your pregnancy.

If you’re seeing symptoms of gum disease, such as swollen, red gums, bad breath, or increased tooth sensitivity, don’t just blame it on your pregnancy. Gum disease in women has been linked to premature birth and low birth weight, so getting this infection treated is not only important to your health, but to your baby’s health as well.

Getting treatment for gum disease during pregnancy is safe, so schedule an appointment with your dentist if you’re having symptoms to ensure you have a safe, healthy pregnancy.

Are you concerned you might be pregnant? It’s true that changes in your oral cavity—including increased teeth and gum sensitivity—can be a symptom of pregnancy. Don’t wait to schedule an appointment with your dentist during your pregnancy to get your smile checked out. You’ll enjoy your pregnancy even more with a healthy smile!

The post Is Teeth and Gum Sensitivity a Symptom of Pregnancy? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Healthy teeth are more than just a pretty smile for these Olympians. A healthy smile has been
linked to a lower risk for systemic diseases such as heart disease. In addition, strong teeth help
these athletes to properly chew their food, therefore supporting proper digestion.

With all the rigors of being an athlete, how do these professionals protect their smile when
competing in the winter games?

Custom Mouthguards Prevent Injury

In sports such as skiing, snowboarding, and hockey, custom mouthguards are an integral part of
preventing injury. Combine this with the fact that a dental emergency can majorly hinder—if
not entirely halt—their performance and mouth safety has become more of a priority than ever
for these competitors.

Custom mouthguards are essential and offer full protection, as compared to store-bought ones
that can’t properly mold to your unique smile. In fact, there’s also evidence that mouthguards
may help decrease the frequency and severity of brain concussions. This is because in addition
to protecting the teeth, custom mouthguards can help absorb the harmful impact in sports that
can cause concussions!

Protecting and Preventing Sensitive Teeth

In the Winter Olympics, cold air does more than make the body cold. If these athletes have
sensitive teeth, breathing cold air can actually make teeth that have compromised enamel hurt!
It’s imperative that these professional competitors take care of their smiles to avoid this.

For example, consider figure skating, where athletes are exposed to temperatures close to
freezing while outdoor competitors are exposed to temperatures in the negatives, sometimes
as much as 25 degrees below! These temperatures are enough to make sensitive teeth painful,
therefore compromising an athlete’s ability to perform their best.

It’s essential to prevent sensitive teeth when possible by adopting best practices when it comes
to teeth whitening (always get it professionally done), hygiene (gentle brushing habits), and
checkups (every six months). An athlete’s mouth is more important than you think!

Athletes Need to Have Their Best Smile

For all the reasons above, athletes need to have their best smile. Dental checkups are
imperative to getting cavities treated early as well as getting any injured teeth repaired. A
professional dentist can also fit athletes with a proper mouthguard, ensuring their smile is
protected at all times while competing.

X-rays can also help determine any problems that your dentist can’t easily see, such as
impacted wisdom teeth. Did you know that athletes who have impacted wisdom teeth are four
times more likely to suffer from a broken jaw while competing? It’s more important than ever
for these professionals to have their best, healthiest smile.

Have you been enjoying the Winter Olympics? Consider that these Olympians need to keep
their mouths as healthy as possible. It wouldn’t hurt to take a cue from these professionals and
take care of your smile, so that you have the best, most beautiful and healthy smile for your
future, whether you’re an Olympian or not!

The post How Winter Olympians Protect Their Smile appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Living with sensitive teeth can be inconvenient at best and painful at worst. Can you expect
teeth sensitivity to go away over time, or do you need treatment now? Here’s how you can
protect your sensitive teeth from painful temperatures!

When You Can Expect Teeth Sensitivity to Go Away

The only time you can expect teeth sensitivity to go away on its own is if you’ve just had a
dental procedure done. These procedures may include the placing of veneers, root canal
therapy, an extraction, or a dental crown. Some teeth whitening procedures may also cause
mild sensitivity for a brief period of time after the procedure.

Your dentist can advise you after your procedure about when your teeth sensitivity will go away
and what you should expect. If you have sensitive teeth due to another issue, your sensitivity
will likely not be temporary and will instead be something you need to treat in order to have a
pain-free smile again.

When Teeth Sensitivity Is Here to Stay

If you have sensitive teeth due to worn-away tooth enamel, it’s likely your sensitivity is going to
be a permanent issue you’ll need to treat.

What causes tooth enamel to be worn away? There are numerous culprits: brushing your teeth
too often or aggressive brushing, broken or chipped teeth that haven’t been treated, gum
disease, teeth grinding, whitening products, or acidic foods (think sugar).

Although teeth sensitivity caused by these things likely won’t go away by itself, you can still
prevent further teeth sensitivity and treat your current teeth sensitivity with a professional
dentist.

How Is Teeth Sensitivity Treated?

First, you can focus on preventing further teeth sensitivity by not brushing too hard, avoiding
acidic foods, and getting regular dental checkups. In addition, a professional dentist can tell
whether or not you’re grinding your teeth, which may be a cause of your current teeth
sensitivity.

Your dentist can also advise you on how to treat your sensitive teeth—both at the dentist office
and at home. At the dentist, a fluoride treatment may help. At home, you can and should invest
in a soft-bristled toothbrush and gently brush your teeth to avoid wearing away any more
enamel. A toothpaste with fluoride may also help your teeth be less sensitive. If you’re a teeth
grinder, a custom mouthguard can protect your smile at night. Your dentist can make
recommendations on what would be the most appropriate for your unique smile.

Regardless of what’s causing your teeth sensitivity, you don’t have to live in pain any longer.
Schedule an appointment with your dentist to learn the likely cause behind your teeth
sensitivity as well as what you can do about it. You can live with a healthy, pain-free smile for
life!

The post Can Teeth Sensitivity Go Away Over Time? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Tooth sensitivity happens as a result of enamel damage, therefore exposing the softer tissues of the tooth. These in turn carry the food’s temperature to the inside of your tooth. How does this happen? Here’s everything you need to know about sensitive teeth and tooth nerve pain.

It’s All about the Dentin

Sensitive teeth occur because the dentin—a softer layer of tissue below your enamel—is exposed. This means your enamel has been worn away in that area, leaving the dentin to be exposed to foods, drinks, and air that enters your mouth.

Dentin is an important element of our teeth. It contains tiny channels that carry the temperature of the tooth to the nerves that lay inside the tooth. These nerves are also known as the tooth’s pulp. Normally the dentin would not be exposed—so it wouldn’t carry the temperature to your tooth pulp. However, once it is exposed, you can’t just turn off the microscopic tubes that carry temperature to your inner tooth. Dentin is the link that connects your tooth sensitivity to temperature to the nerve inside the tooth, which in turn triggers pain.

How Roots Become Exposed

There are a number of ways that your tooth’s dentin and roots become exposed. Often, people who have sensitive teeth experience a combination of factors that lead to their tooth pain. Your tooth’s root is protected by enamel, but can become exposed when enamel gets worn away. Enamel is the hardest substance in the body, but unfortunately, the body does not replace it once it’s gone. Enamel erosion can happen from:

 Cavities

 Loose fillings

 Hard brushing

 Abuse of over-the- counter tooth whitening products

 Brushing your teeth too aggressively

 Bruxism (teeth grinding)

 Gum disease

These are just a few of the items that can damage your enamel. You could also have a fractured tooth or gum recession, which can expose dentin and tooth roots.

What Can You Do?

Simply switching to a toothbrush with softer bristles and desensitizing toothpaste can help many people control their tooth sensitivity and avoid further enamel erosion. If you have severe tooth sensitivity, you may need additional treatment to help manage your pain. This includes getting treatment for bruxism if you grind your teeth, or you may have a cavity that needs to get filled, or a fractured tooth that needs repairing. Your treatment will be unique based on what’s causing your tooth sensitivity. Your dentist can help you discover what the problem is and how to treat it.

Don’t live with tooth nerve pain! Although replacing enamel is impossible, your problem may be gum recession or a simple cavity that can be fixed. Seeing your dentist can help address your tooth pain and find out where it’s coming from. Remember to always protect your enamel with gentle brushing, avoiding acidic foods like sugar, and visiting your dentist!

The post Sensitive Teeth? Learn More About Tooth Nerve Pain appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

If you have sensitive teeth, you can still benefit from teeth whitening without having painful side effects such as severe tooth sensitivity. The following are your best teeth whitening options for sensitive teeth!

Professional In-Office Whitening

Getting a professional teeth whitening is always your best option, especially when it comes to sensitive teeth. This is because at-home whitening kits are easy to misuse due to the amount of peroxide in the whitening strips or trays. These aren’t customized for your unique smile and if tooth sensitivity is a problem before you attempt to whiten your teeth, you could make the problem worse by trying to do a professional’s job at home.

Your dentist is the professional best equipped to handle your tooth sensitivity and protect your teeth during the procedure. During a professional whitening, a buffer is generally used in the peroxide gel to protect your tooth’s enamel from any damage. Talk to your dentist about tooth sensitivity before the whitening procedure to ensure maximum protection for your sensitive teeth!

Laser Teeth Whitening

Laser teeth whitening is becoming a popular treatment that provides fast yet dramatic results for your smile. In less than an hour, you can have a completely transformed smile at your dentist’s office! During laser teeth whitening, a higher concentration of peroxide is used and your dentist uses a laser to accelerate the whitening process.

With laser teeth whitening, precautions are taken to prevent tooth sensitivity and protect your teeth. This could include using a desensitizing toothpaste or doing a fluoride treatment after the procedure, as well as fully protecting your gums and teeth from the bleaching agents during the procedure. Laser teeth whitening shortens the length of time your teeth are exposed to the peroxide and can erase stains in as little as 20 minutes!

Fluoride Treatment Post Whitening

Whether you get a traditional in-office teeth whitening or laser teeth whitening, your dentist may choose to do a fluoride treatment after the procedure to minimize the chances of tooth sensitivity and help protect your tooth enamel from damage. Your dentist may also choose to customize your tooth whitening procedure by using a less intense peroxide solution to further protect your sensitive teeth. Talk to your dentist about getting a fluoride treatment post whitening to help alleviate your tooth sensitivity after the procedure!

Getting your teeth whitened is a simple yet effective change that can completely transform your smile. You don’t have to miss out on having brilliantly white teeth just because of tooth sensitivity. Talk to your dentist about laser teeth whitening or a professional teeth whitening with a fluoride treatment afterwards to minimize tooth sensitivity. You can have beautiful white teeth that don’t hurt!

The post The Best Teeth Whitening Options for Sensitive Teeth appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

One of the things that causes sensitivity in the teeth is enamel erosion. Erosion is often caused and exacerbated by a lack of proper dental care at home or from not getting regular check ups and deep cleanings from a dentist. When the dentin is exposed, the gum tissue erodes, leading to the nerves being unprotected. The tubules in the teeth allow the hot or cold items to enter the nerves of the teeth.

[media-credit id=12 align=”alignleft” width=”350″][/media-credit]While this may seem intuitive to most people, it is important to reinforce that the most important thing to do to decreaseteeth sensitivity is to brush properly and floss. Clean all of the parts of the mouth, floss in areas your brush doesn’t reach and use a fluoride mouth rinse with an antiseptic. Don’t use a brush that has excessively hard bristles, as they can wear away the enamel and irritate the gums. Gently brush the teeth instead of quickly going over them. Many toothpaste companies are coming out with products for sensitive teeth as well. If you use these products on a regular basis, then you should start to see a difference. Rub a small amount of toothpaste on the tooth that is sensitive, and let it sit on the area overnight.

From a dietary standpoint, avoid foods that are high in acid content. These can eat away at the enamel which will lead to sensitivity, especially on the front teeth. These foods can also make the sensitivity worse if it is already present. Try not to grind your teeth, as this over time can chip the teeth, exposing the nerves. If you grind your teeth while sleeping, a properly fitted dental mouth guard can be worn at night to help.

If you already see the enamel of your teeth starting to go away, there are a few things you can do to slow the process. Visit your dentist on a regular basis. Drink milk and consume foods that are high in calcium. This can strengthen the teeth. Don’t swish acidic drinks in the mouth such as soda. Doing this will only get the acid on all of the teeth, making it harder to get off the surfaces.

Tooth sensitivity can lead to signifcant discomfort over time if the causes aren’t identified and proper oral care isn’t maintained. We’ve outlined steps here you can take yourself, but they are not a substitute for regular cleanings and exams with your dentist.

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