Denture News

Let’s Talk Bite.

Let’s Talk Bite.

The essence of a great denture starts at the bite. Obviously, a beautiful smile is up there with the most important assets, but would you drive a nice car without breaks? The bite is one of the most crucial parts because if it is even slightly out the whole denture will be uncomfortable leading to an ill-fitting denture and even constant denture repairs.

Oral health is a big factor in your overall health so eating with a misaligned denture is also affecting your health. If you are thinking about getting dentures and do not understand how they work…

Lets Talk Bite

What Is The Bite?

Aside from the obvious – Chewing your food from larger particles into smaller particles to help reduce the stress on the esophagus and the digestion system – In dentistry, the “bite” applies to how the upper teeth and lower teeth meet to form a bite. A poor bite is called malocclusion and means the irregular meeting of the teeth. There are many different bites and everyone is different.

Normal Bite

If your upper teeth fit slightly over your lower teeth and the points of your molars fit the grooves of the opposite molars, then this is a normal bite.

Crossbite

Your lower teeth are usually narrower than your upper teeth. A crossbite means that your lowers are protruding outside of the arch of your uppers.

underbite

Underbite or a class 3 jaw is when your lower jaw protrudes forwards making your lower teeth bite over your upper teeth. This is usually caused by an overgrowth of your lower jaw or undergrowth of your upper, Or a combination of the both.

Open Bite
  • Anterior

When back teeth have contact but the front teeth do not.

  • Posterior

The opposite of anterior when the front teeth meet but the back teeth do not.

Deep Bite

When the bite is closed the lower jaw and teeth are sunken too much into the bite. You are covering your lower teeth.

Click here for more examples of different bites.

How We Measure Bite.

During the process of fabricating a denture, there is one appointment set aside for bite registration. Before arriving for the appointment a bite block is fabricated using the models taken from the final impression. This block is fabricated out of wax and fits snugly around your gums as a denture would. From here we are able to gauge where your natural teeth would sit.

Articulator

Articulator

After the registration appointment, the upper and lower models of your mouth are put on something called an articulator. This device ‘articulates’ the up and down movement of your mouth which has been registered using the bite block. Here we are able to see how you naturally chew without having you in the clinic.

Set-Ups

Wax up on articulator

Now that we have registered how your bite fits together it’s time to fit the teeth. This process is called a setup. The bite block is replaced by teeth while still using the articulator for registration. Articulating paper is then put in between the teeth in order to mark where the teeth are connecting with one another, if they are sitting too high (or low) it is adjusted accordingly.

Wax Try-ins

Articulator With Setup

This exciting stage is where we fit a wax replica of your final denture in place. From here we can change anything about the fit and you are able to see how they will look for the first time, but more importantly, it’s a stage where we are able to get a final look at how things are moving and how your teeth come together.

Having A Misaligned Bite

If you find yourself constantly having broken dentures, the way your teeth come together is probably one of the root causes. Because your teeth bite down on the acrylic with the same amount of pressure you use on your teeth the cracks and breakages may occur. Having an off bite also means you will be adjusting the way you chew which will mean the improper chewing of your food leading to malnutrition and hence other health problems.

Get In Touch:

For a free consultation Make an Appointment or Call 587-352-6845

for further denture care information check out our blog.

Holt Dentures is a family-run denture clinic in Calgary, Alberta. We are located Across 58th Ave from Chinook Centre in the Chinook Plaza Building. If you would like more information about us or have any questions about our denturist and our general practices please give us a call or read our team page.

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