You pay attention to what you eat. After all, your oral health depends on it. Without the necessary proteins, vitamins, and minerals in your diet, your teeth and gums will suffer. But did you know it’s a two-way street? Without healthy teeth and a healthy bite, your digestive system can suffer as well.

Because digestion doesn’t start in your stomach—it starts in your mouth! Let’s take a quick look at how the digestive system operates.

• Teeth

The first step in digesting is breaking down foods so your body can extract their nutrients more easily. Healthy teeth are essential here. Incisors and canines tear food into smaller pieces while molars grind these pieces into an easy-to-swallow, paste-like consistency. While we chew, the surface area of the food increases, allowing the digestive enzymes in saliva, the stomach, and the small intestine to work more efficiently.

• Salivary Glands

Saliva production increases when we eat. Digestive enzymes in saliva begin breaking down carbs into sugars, and separating fat molecules. Saliva also contains antimicrobial peptides which are important for oral and gut health.  

• Esophagus

This muscular tube connects the back of the throat to the stomach. As we swallow, muscles in the esophagus contract and relax, an involuntary movement called peristalsis. These contractions push food down into the stomach. Peristalsis also occurs in the stomach and intestines, efficiently moving food through the rest of the digestive system. 

• Stomach

Inside the stomach are gastric acids and enzymes which break food down further to help the small intestine make use of these nutrients in the next stage of digestion.

• Small Intestine

This organ works to reap the benefits of our healthy diets. The small intestine absorbs about 95% of the nutrients from our digested food—carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, and minerals—and transfers these nutrients to the circulatory system to be used throughout the body. Any remaining food particles travel to the colon, or large intestine.

• Large Intestine

Bacteria in the large intestine help process soluble fiber, which we can’t digest on our own. The large intestine is also where insoluble fiber and anything else undigested are converted to solid waste. 

Now, let’s look at how a malocclusion, or bad bite, can disrupt the digestive process.

In some cases, malocclusions are mild, and require little or no treatment. A more serious malocclusion, though, can impact the way the jaws fit together, making it difficult or impossible for the jaws and teeth to align correctly for efficient and comfortable chewing. What are some possible consequences?

• Uneven bite pressure

With a healthy bite, your teeth and jaws fit together properly to let you get the most out of your meal. When teeth and jaws don’t meet properly, it’s hard to chew food into the paste-like consistency necessary for rest of our system to process it smoothly.

• Reduction in digestive enzymes and peptides

Difficulty chewing means less chewing. Less chewing means less saliva, and your system won’t benefit from the digestive prep work and gut protection which saliva typically provides. 

• Uncomfortable swallowing

Insufficiently chewed food makes peristalsis in the throat and other digestive organs more difficult. Larger pieces of food can become stuck in the esophagus, causing painful swallowing or even choking.

• Higher risk of stomach problems

When food isn’t chewed thoroughly, the stomach has to work harder, and the risk of gastroesophageal reflux increases. Highly acidic gastric juices can back up into the esophagus and mouth, causing heartburn, chest pain, sore throat, and vomiting. 

• Bowel irritation

When food particles are too large, the small intestine must work harder to break them down and to absorb their nutrients. Insufficiently digested food can also upset the bacterial balance in the large intestine. These problems can cause indigestion, constipation, gas, and bloating.

• Changes in nutrition 

Orthodontic problems can also lead to nutritional imbalances even before we start to digest. Soft foods and liquids are often chosen over proteins, fruits, and vegetables when chewing pain is a regular occurrence. While a soft diet is fine for a few days if your mouth is a bit sore following an orthodontic or dental treatment, it can be difficult to get the all the nutrients your body needs when you only eat soft foods.

Orthodontic treatment has many well-known benefits. Straighter teeth. A comfortable, functional bite. Increased self-confidence. Let’s add one more benefit to that list—making sure your digestive system gets off to a great start!

The team at Convivial Dental in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts recommends an orthodontic evaluation for children around the age of seven, because finding malocclusions early makes it easier to correct them. But if you’re an adult, don’t settle for painful chewing and an increased risk of digestive problems. Talk to Drs. Cartsos and Zavras to learn how orthodontic treatment can give you an attractive, functional smile. Your healthy smile—and your healthy body—will thank you!

Are you thinking about getting braces or aligners? Are you already in orthodontic treatment? If so, you already know that braces and aligners help straighten teeth and create a confident, beautiful smile. And those visible benefits are amazing! But orthodontic treatment has an even more important purpose than creating a beautiful smile—and that’s protecting and improving your oral health. 

What else can orthodontic treatment from Drs. Cartsos and Zavras do for you?

Protect Your Tooth and Gum Health

• Lower Your Risk of Cavities

When teeth are crooked or overlap each other, it’s easier for cavity-causing plaque to get trapped between them, and harder to remove it. Straighter teeth let you remove plaque more easily and effectively.

• Keep Your Gums Healthy

When plaque and tartar build up around the gums, gum tissue becomes irritated and red, which is how gum disease begins. When teeth are straight and evenly spaced, brushing and flossing are easier and more effective, helping your gums stay their healthiest.

Create a Better, More Comfortable Bite

When the teeth and jaws don’t fit together the way they should when you close your mouth, it’s called a malocclusion, or bad bite. There are different types of bite problems, from barely noticeable to more serious, and they affect us in different ways. When your orthodontist corrects your bite, you’ll get benefits which don’t show up in the mirror!

• Stronger Teeth and Healthier Gums

Teeth and jaws which don’t fit together properly put extra pressure on your teeth and gums, which can cause worn enamel, cracked teeth, and shrinking gums. A well-aligned bite helps protect your teeth and gums.

• A Pain-Free Bite

Left untreated, malocclusions can cause problems like temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), headaches, face and neck pain, earaches, limited jaw movement, and painful chewing. Correcting your bite will help relieve the discomfort and pain caused by a malocclusion. 

Other Possible Benefits

For people with more serious malocclusions, orthodontic treatment might improve daily life in unexpected ways:

• Improved Speech

It takes a lot of coordination to produce different sounds. The lips, the tongue, the alveolar ridge (the part of the jawbone which holds our teeth), the hard and soft palates, parts of the throat, and, yes, the teeth all play a part in creating speech. Some kinds of malocclusions contribute to speech disorders such as lisps, which orthodontic treatment can help correct.

• Improved Digestion

Digestion starts in the mouth, not the stomach! As we chew, we break down our food into small particles which are easier for the stomach to digest. If you can’t chew properly because your teeth are misaligned or a bad bite makes it too painful to chew food as thoroughly as you should, you won’t be getting the full nutritional benefits of your healthy diet. Orthodontic treatment helps you bite down painlessly and break down foods easily for better digestion.

• Improved Sleep

Bite problems can sometimes lead to sleepless nights. More serious malocclusions may cause mouth breathing, which, in turn, can affect the quality of your sleep. If you’re having trouble sleeping, your doctor can help you discover the source of your problems. If you can’t sleep because of tooth or jaw misalignment, orthodontic treatment might be the solution!

Talk to Drs. Cartsos and Zavras to learn about all the options available to align your teeth and jaws for a healthy, attractive smile. Braces or aligners might be all you need to correct a mild malocclusion. Appliances and headgear can guide the growth and position of the jaw if needed. In some cases, surgery, together with braces, can be used to treat a more serious malocclusion.

If you want a more confident smile, stronger teeth and gums, and a comfortable, healthy bite, talk to the dental team at Convivial Dental in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to discover how orthodontic treatment can help you achieve all of your smile goals!

Our patients at Convivial Dental hate the thought of delaying their treatments and often ask us what they can do in between their adjustment visits to help. Today, Drs. Cartsos and Zavras and our team thought we would provide some tips on how you can stay on track in regards to your treatment plan time.

The first thing we want you to do is keep your adjustment appointments. Each visit with Drs. Cartsos and Zavras is carefully planned to move your teeth a specific way in a certain time frame. It’s important to note that missing an appointment can add weeks or months to your treatment time.

Next, we want you to let Drs. Cartsos and Zavras and our team know right away if your experience any problems with your braces or appliances. A missing wire, rubber band, or broken bracket can delay treatment time, so we ask that you please give us a call right away to report any issues rather than waiting until your next visit.

Make sure you wear your rubber bands as prescribed by Drs. Cartsos and Zavras. Most, if not all, of our patients will need to wear elastics or rubber bands at some point during their treatment. Not wearing the bands or elastics, or not wearing them enough, can slow down your treatment time. Rubber bands are critical in aligning your bite and are important for the bite-fixing phase of your treatment.

Finally, we want you to maintain good oral hygiene, just as you did before your treatment began. In addition to flossing regularly, we encourage you to brush your teeth several times a day. Not brushing will allow sugar to wear away the cement on the braces, making them less effective in moving your teeth, as well as elevate your risk of developing cavities or tooth decay, which will inevitably delay treatment time.

If you have any questions about any of these tips, or if you have any general questions about your treatment, please give us a call at our convenient Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts office, or ask Drs. Cartsos and Zavras during your next adjustment visit!

The words “overbite” and “overjet” certainly sound similar. Both conditions concern your front teeth. Both conditions fall under the same category of bite problems—Class II malocclusions, if you want to be technical. So it’s not surprising that they’re often used interchangeably. But while there are similarities, overbite and overjet are also distinctly different.

• Overbite/Overjet Geometry

In a healthy bite, the front top teeth project slightly beyond, and slightly overlap, the bottom teeth. The key word here is “slightly.” With a Class II malocclusion, the upper front teeth project further beyond the lower teeth than they should.

Of course, teeth and bites are as individual as we are, so there are variations in just how and just how much the overlap occurs. In diagnosing an overbite vs. an overjet, the difference comes down to a matter of vertical vs. horizontal.

An overbite, or deep bite, occurs when the top teeth vertically overlap the bottom teeth more than they should for a healthy bite. Generally, when a person’s top teeth cover more than a quarter of the bottom teeth when biting down, or more than two to three millimeters, that person is said to have an overbite.

An overjet, commonly known as protruding or buck teeth, is the result of a horizontal overlap that is broader than normal. This causes the top teeth to project outward toward the lips more than they do in a typical bite. An overjet is usually diagnosed when the horizontal distance between the top and bottom teeth exceeds two to three millimeters.

• Overbite/Overjet Causes

The causes for both an overbite and an overjet might be dental (caused by tooth alignment), or skeletal (caused by bone development), or a combination of both. These bite problems can run in families. They are also affected by the size and position of the jaws and the shape and position of the teeth.

Early oral habits, such as prolonged and vigorous thumb-sucking or pacifier use, can also contribute to the development of a Class II malocclusion, particularly an overjet. Consistent pressure from thump or pacifier pushes the teeth outward as they erupt, which encourages them to protrude. These oral habits can affect the shape of the palate and jaw, too.

• Overbite/Overjet Treatments

There are many types of treatment available to correct teeth and bite misalignments. Drs. Cartsos and Zavras will tailor your treatment to your specific malocclusion for the best orthodontic outcome.

If you have a mild malocclusion, and minor dental issues are the main cause of that malocclusion, either braces or clear aligners can be effective for an overjet or an overbite. Elastics (rubber bands) are often used as part of this treatment.

If the malocclusion is due to bite problems caused by uneven upper and lower jaw development, devices called functional appliances can be used with braces to help guide the growth of the jawbones while young patients’ bones are still forming. These include appliances that work inside the mouth to help the upper and lower jaws grow proportionally, and external appliances such as headgear.

In some cases, where the malocclusion is skeletal in nature as well as dental, surgical treatment might be necessary to reshape the jawbone itself. Orthodontic treatment is usually needed as well both before and after surgery.

• Overbite/Overjet Consequences

Over time, a deep overbite can cause damaged gum tissue, worn enamel, and fractured teeth. When teeth protrude because of an overjet, they can lead to self-consciousness and are more at risk for injury. Both malocclusions share dental and medical consequences, including concerns about facial and jaw appearance, problems speaking or chewing, headaches, and face and jaw pain.

Class II malocclusions aren’t all the same, and orthodontic patients aren’t all the same either. You may have a minor malocclusion or a significant one. You may have an overbite, or an overjet, or a combination of different bite and alignment concerns. Your malocclusion may not bother you at all, or it may cause pain, discomfort, or self-consciousness.

That’s why every overbite or overjet should be evaluated by an orthodontist. When you visit our Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts orthodontic office, Drs. Cartsos and Zavras will be able to diagnose the exact nature of your malocclusion, the reason for it, and your best individualized treatment plan. An overbite and an overjet are different malocclusions, but you and your orthodontist want the same outcome for each: a healthy, attractive, and confident smile!