You’re biting into something delicious, and, Ouch! You bite into something you didn’t mean to—the inside of your tender cheek.

Painful moments like this happen every now and again. But if you find that more frequent cheek biting means that you’re extra-cautious when eating or speaking, if you wake up with sore cheeks in the morning, or if you catch yourself gnawing on your cheeks during the day, it’s time to see Drs. Cartsos and Zavras.

Causes of Cheek Biting

Many of us experience the occasional cheek chomp when we’re eating or talking. No fun! Besides the pain, a bite can cause broken skin, inflammation, a canker sore, or a cyst. Luckily, the discomfort from these accidental bites generally resolves after a few days.  

Sometimes, though, biting becomes a more frequent annoyance. Regular bites can be caused by several conditions. One of the most common?

• Orthodontic Misalignment

If you notice that you seem to be biting your cheek a lot when eating or speaking, it could be an orthodontic problem. When your teeth or jaws don’t align properly, if your mouth is small in proportion to your teeth, or if your teeth have shifted over time, your cheeks can feel the consequences! Drs. Cartsos and Zavras can help you discover if a misaligned bite is the source of your biting problems.

But it’s not just orthodontic problems which can cause painful cheek bites. Other causes can include:

• Bruxism

Bruxism is a medical term for tooth grinding. If you clench or grind your teeth as you sleep, it’s hard on your teeth and on your jaws. And for some people, that nightly gnashing causes cheek biting as well.

• Wisdom Teeth

Most of us don’t have the room to welcome four new—and large—teeth. As the wisdom teeth come in, they can cause bites, especially if they erupt leaning outward toward your cheeks. They can also push your other teeth out of place.

Treatment Options

Why visit our Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts orthodontic office? A one-time bite can be extremely uncomfortable, and might lead to inflammation or a sore spot inside your mouth. Usually, these reactions fade in a short while.

But what about continuous biting? Regular biting injuries can lead to bigger problems. Tissue can get thicker or erode. Scar tissue can build up inside the mouth. Ulcers and other sores can become larger and more painful.

If you’ve been biting your cheeks more often, your orthodontist can diagnose the cause and offer you treatment options depending on the reason for this frequent biting:

• Orthodontic Treatment

Orthodontic treatment can improve tooth and bite alignment—and can eliminate those painful cheek bites if misalignment is what’s causing them. Today’s orthodontics offers more options than ever before, for both adults and kids.

• Traditional braces are more effective—and more subtle—than ever, with brackets which are smaller or come in clear and ceramic styles.
• Clear aligners are a convenient, almost invisible way to treat misalignment with a series of trays which gradually improve alignment with each new set.
• Lingual braces are attached to the back of the teeth, so there are no visible brackets and wires.
• Functional appliances can improve and correct bite issues which braces or aligners alone can’t treat as effectively.

Whatever the reason for painful cheek biting, you deserve to eat and speak and enjoy your day without constant “Ouch!” moments affecting your comfort and health. If these moments are happening all too often, visit our Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts office for the answers to your biting problems.

Psst—here’s some time sensitive information just for you. If your teeth are sensitive to heat, cold, sweets, acidic foods, wind and/or air, it could mean it’s time to see your dentist!

Normally, we don’t notice how external conditions affect our teeth at all. Tooth enamel—the hardest substance in the body—protects the inner tooth from outside stimuli. So, why do strong, solid teeth suddenly feel sensitive? The answer’s found in tooth anatomy.

The crown of the tooth, the part we can see above the gum line, has three distinct layers.

• Enamel, a strong mineral-rich coating, surrounds the outside of each tooth and protects the dentin and pulp inside.
• Dentin is the softer, porous middle layer of the tooth. Dentin contains thousands of tiny, fluid-filled tubules which extend to the pulp.
• In the center of each tooth is the pulp chamber, filled with nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue which keep the tooth alive and healthy.

The roots below the gumline have a similar structure, with one important exception.

• Cementum, which is not as hard and strong as enamel, covers the root surface instead of enamel.

Healthy, undamaged teeth allow you to enjoy an icy beverage, a hot latte, a sweet treat, or a brisk walk without any dental discomfort.

When the tooth’s protective enamel covering is worn or damaged, the dentin below the enamel is exposed to external conditions. Temperature changes, air, wind, sweets and acids—all the stimuli which normally have no effect on our teeth are now transmitted through the dentin’s tubules to the nerves inside the pulp.

The pulp’s nerves respond to these sensations by sending out pain signals. The uncomfortable tooth sensitivity which results is often described as an annoying twinge, a sharp, brief stabbing pain, or a shocking sensation.

The first step in treating dentin exposure is to see your dentist to discover the cause. Tooth sensitivity could be the result of:

Aggressive Brushing

Brushing is great! Over-aggressive brushing? Not so much. Heavy-handed brushing and brushing with anything other than a soft-bristled brush can wear down mineral-rich tooth enamel to expose the dentin underneath, and is even more damaging to less-mineral-rich cementum.

Diet

An acidic or sugary oral environment harms enamel. Consuming acidic foods and beverages erodes the minerals which make enamel so strong. Sugars give plaque bacteria the perfect fuel they need to produce enamel-eroding acids.

Cavities

The bacteria in plaque create acids which strip minerals from tooth enamel. Over time, a hole in the enamel develops, uncovering the sensitive dentin below.

Injuries

A crack or fracture can expose dentin, or, in severe cases, tooth pulp, to foods, heat, cold, and air.

Tooth Grinding

Bruxism, or tooth grinding, often takes place during sleep, and can apply over a hundred pounds of pressure to the teeth and jaws. Continuous grinding and clenching wears away tooth enamel, exposing dentin. Bruxism can also cause chipped and cracked teeth, as well as jaw damage and even tooth loss.

Malocclusion

Occlusion refers to the way our teeth and jaws fit together. In a healthy occlusion, the forces of biting and chewing are evenly distributed. A malocclusion, or bad bite, can cause excessive or uneven pressure on teeth and jaws, leading to worn enamel, cracked teeth, and more serious bite problems.

Just as there are many causes for tooth sensitivity, your dental team in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts has many solutions to restore your comfortable, healthy smile.

Choose the Right Products to Protect Your Smile

• If you’re not using a soft-bristled brush, trade in your old model ASAP, or try an electric toothbrush. Bonus: Electric toothbrushes and water flossers can be especially helpful for cleaning around your braces!
• There are special toothpastes which are formulated to reduce sensitivity.
• Fluoride treatments can help strengthen tooth enamel.
• Talk to your orthodontist, dentist, or hygienist to learn the best ways to brush and the best products to use to protect your dental health and your tooth enamel.

Eat a Dental-Healthy Diet

• Cut down on acidic and sugary foods and drinks to protect your tooth enamel. And, of course, stick with your braces-healthy diet by removing sticky, crunchy, hard, and chewy items from the menu.
• Check ingredients. The amount of acids and sugars in foods like sodas and sports drinks could surprise you!
• If you do eat something acidic, don’t brush right away—rinse with water and wait an hour to give your enamel time to restrengthen and remineralize.

See Your Dentist Regularly

• Regular exams will discover any cavities before they become deeper and more damaging. Proactive care will also help keep your orthodontic treatment plan on track.
• Gum disease can cause gum recession, exposing those sensitive, cementum-covered roots. Your dentist will look out for any signs of early gum disease and offer tips for gum health.
• If you suspect you have an injured tooth, call Drs. Cartsos and Zavras immediately to prevent more serious damage or infection.

Protect Your Smile from Trauma

• A custom-fitted nightguard can prevent enamel erosion and other damage caused by bruxism.
• Wear a mouthguard when playing contact sports or activities to protect your teeth from injuries.
• If you’re wearing traditional braces, your dentist can customize a nightguard or mouthguard which will work with your braces.

Create a Healthier Smile with Orthodontic Treatment

• If you suspect a bite problem is causing wear on your teeth, it’s time for an orthodontic consultation with Convivial Dental! Orthodontic treatment aligns the teeth and jaws properly, which means that your teeth will fit together without causing any extra wear on your enamel or exposing the sensitive dentin underneath.
• Preventing worn enamel is, of course, only one benefit of orthodontic treatment. Properly aligned teeth reduce the risk of cavities. Treatment can prevent dental injuries caused by excess pressure and stress. And there’s no underestimating the value of a confident, healthy smile!

If you’re feeling sensitive, especially if discomfort persists or worsens, see your dentist to discover the cause of the problem. Tooth sensitivity is time sensitive. Take care of small problems before they become serious ones, and you’ll help make sure your smile is something you’re not the least bit sensitive about!

Your opinions matter to Drs. Cartsos and Zavras and our team! Our blog is meant to be an educational channel, but we always want to know what things you’re interested in learning more about. After all, our blog is here for you to enjoy!

We’d like to encourage you to send us any ideas about what you want to see more of. No idea is too small! Whether it involves a specific treatment or advice on what kind of toothpaste you should use, we’d love to hear from you about it.

To share your thoughts with us, simply leave your comments below or on our Facebook page! You can also fill out a comment card the next time you visit our Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts office!

By and large, the human body is a marvel of symmetry. But, of course, no one is perfect. You might have noticed one ear is a bit higher than the other. That you wear a shoe a half-size bigger on your left foot. That one shirtsleeve always looks longer.

Or that your smile looks off-center. This dental asymmetry could be caused by a condition known as “midline misalignment,” and, unlike that left foot, you can do something about it!

The dividing line between our center teeth, upper and lower, is called the midline. If we draw an imaginary line down the middle of a face, from the forehead to the nose to the midpoint of the chin, that line should go right between the front teeth. When it doesn’t, because the teeth have shifted past the midpoint, it’s often due to a condition called midline misalignment.

This kind of misalignment, also known as a deviated midline, can have several causes:

• Baby teeth that are lost too early

Baby teeth do more than promote healthy eating and speech development. They also reserve space for permanent teeth. If a primary tooth is lost too early, permanent teeth might “drift” to fill the empty space, causing the midline to move as well.

• Thumb sucking that goes on too long

As a child gets older, and certainly when by the time permanent teeth start to arrive, aggressive thumb sucking can lead to numerous orthodontic problems, including a deviated midline, as the teeth shift in response to that continuous pressure.

• Missing adult teeth

When you lose a tooth through decay or trauma, or when an adult tooth simply never develops, the remaining teeth can shift over to fill the open spot.

• Spacing issues

Crowded teeth, teeth with significant gaps between them, very large teeth, very small teeth—all of these issues can affect spacing and midline alignment.

• Crossbite

A crossbite is a kind of malocclusion, or bite problem. When you have a crossbite, the teeth don’t fit together properly, with upper teeth fitting inside lower teeth, instead of aligning on the outside where they belong. A deviated midline can indicate a posterior crossbite, where the top back teeth slant inwards or fit inside the bottom back teeth.

A tiny bit of midline shift one way or the other might be nothing to worry about, but if one front tooth is literally the center of attention, or if your teeth are noticeably out of alignment, it’s a good idea to talk to our Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts orthodontic team.

Because there are several potential causes for midline misalignment, Drs. Cartsos and Zavras will carefully analyze your individual situation to determine where the problem lies: with the teeth, the bite, or, rarely, the jaw itself.

Drs. Cartsos and Zavras will also offer you your best dental treatment options. A shift of a few millimeters might be treated with clear aligners or traditional braces. A crossbite could require braces or aligners coupled with elastics (rubber bands) to bring your bite into alignment. A palatal expander can help correct a serious crossbite.

Why visit Convivial Dental because of a little asymmetry? Because a deviated midline is more than a cosmetic concern. If you have a malocclusion to begin with, or if your misalignment leads to changes in chewing habits, which cause new bite problems, you might be facing jaw pain, chipped and cracked teeth, headaches, and all the other unpleasant consequences of malocclusion.

By and large, perfect symmetry in life is unattainable. But if you want a smile that is well-balanced and healthy, talk to us about all the treatments available to make sure your smile—and not a single tooth—is the center of attention.