Philosophy of Dental Health | Occlusal Harmony

Your teeth function “hand in hand” with your upper and the lower jaw. Your teeth also function “hand in hand” with the muscles that move the lower jaw within the temporo-mandibular joints (TMJ’S). The comfortable relationship of teeth, jaws, joints and muscles is Occlusal Harmony.

Understanding these relationships is paramount to understanding the “occlusal complex” and how it affects your overall dental health. It allows me to achieve a very high level of predictable success in treating your dental needs.

When occlusal harmonies become occlusal disharmonies, various symptoms present themselves. Symptoms such as excessive wear on your teeth, sore teeth, loose teeth, muscle discomfort and a variety of other orofacial pain issues, including headaches, occasional joint (TMJ) discomfort, continuous joint (TMJ) pain, muscle fatigue, and short term soreness of teeth or muscles upon awakening, can all be signs of occlusal disharmonies. Even migraine headaches have been shown to be related to occlusal disharmonies.

If the requirements of occlusal harmonies are met as part of a long term treatment plan, the overwhelming majority of your teeth will last you all your life.

Occlusal diagnosis is also a critical requirement in determining cosmetic changes you may be considering. Speech, esthetics, tooth alignment, positioning of anterior teeth and the contouring of anterior teeth in harmony with facial muscles, lip positions and tooth alignment are all factors in how teeth will look after cosmetic dental services are completed. If they are to be changes for a lifetime, they must be made within the requirements of occlusal harmony.

The overall comfort of your teeth, jaws, joints and muscles, as well as the look you wish to achieve, are the result of a careful study of the existing conditions of your teeth, jaws, joints (TMJ’S), muscles, and speech patterns. Included in this study are a complete physical examination of teeth, jaws, joints (TMJ’S), muscles, full series x-rays, mounted study models, photographs and bite registrations. The costs to you are the same as the costs for full series x-rays and initial exam.

For more information, please call our Asheville NC office at 828-277-0734, or visit our Advances in Cosmetic Dentistry page for more information on the latest procedures to facilitate your dental health.