OCCLUSAL / BITE ADJUSTMENT · BETHESDA, MD

Does one tooth hit before the rest? Your bite may need a small adjustment.

If a filling, crown or another tooth feels “too high” when you close or chew, even a small contact difference can make your bite feel noticeably off. A precise occlusal adjustment can reshape the specific contact so your teeth meet more evenly.

Small adjustment. Very specific reason.

WHEN YOUR BITE FEELS DIFFERENT

Six clues one contact may be throwing your bite off.

A bite interference can be surprisingly small. What matters is whether one area consistently feels different when your teeth come together.

A new filling feels “too high”

If a recently restored tooth seems to touch before the others, the bite on that restoration may need to be checked.

One tooth hits first

When you close slowly, you may notice one specific tooth making contact before the rest of your bite settles.

It hurts only when you chew

A tooth that feels comfortable at rest but tender under biting pressure deserves a closer evaluation.

Your bite changed after dental work

A filling, crown, bridge or other treatment can sometimes leave your teeth meeting differently than they did before.

Pressure feels uneven

Chewing may feel heavier on one tooth or one side, as though part of your bite is carrying more pressure than the rest.

A restoration feels overloaded

Unexpected wear, tenderness or chipping around a filling or crown can be a reason to check how biting forces are contacting that area.

If your bite changed after dental work, you don’t have to wait and hope it “settles.”

Occlusal adjustment permanently changes a tiny part of the biting surface. That’s why we identify the interference first — and adjust only what needs adjusting.

WHAT AN OCCLUSAL ADJUSTMENT ACTUALLY DOES

Your teeth should meet together — not compete to be first.

Your occlusion is the way your upper and lower teeth contact when you close and move your jaw. Sometimes one small area contacts too heavily or too early, particularly after a filling, crown or other restorative treatment.

Occlusal adjustment — also called equilibration — means selectively reshaping specific biting surfaces to create more harmonious contact between the upper and lower teeth.

The important word is specific. We first need to identify a real contact problem and determine whether adjusting it makes sense. Bite adjustment should not automatically be used to explain or treat every headache, episode of grinding or TMJ symptom. Treatments that permanently alter the teeth or bite deserve a clear clinical reason.

THE RIGHT LEVEL OF ADJUSTMENT

Sometimes it’s one high spot. Sometimes the bite needs a closer look.

We don’t reshape teeth simply because a bite “feels different.” The first step is understanding where the contact is coming from and why.

Post-Restoration Adjustment

A newly placed filling, crown or bridge can be checked and selectively adjusted if one area is contacting too heavily when you bite.

Limited Bite Adjustment

When examination confirms one or a few localized premature contacts, small amounts of tooth or restorative material can be selectively reshaped and polished.

Comprehensive Bite Evaluation

If several teeth, restorations or areas of wear are involved, we may need to evaluate the overall bite before deciding whether adjustment — or another approach — is appropriate.

YOUR BITE ADJUSTMENT · STEP BY STEP

Find the high spot. Adjust precisely. Check it again.

We listen to what feels different and examine your bite, often using articulating paper to show exactly where your teeth are contacting.

If we confirm a specific interference, a very small amount of tooth or restorative material is selectively reshaped and smoothed.

You close and chew again while we reassess the contacts, making sure the adjusted area feels comfortable and your bite comes together more evenly.

What patients say

200 reasons to choose us.

We don't ask you to trust us. We let our patients do the talking.

A bite that feels wrong is worth checking before it keeps bothering you.

We accept most PPO insurance plans and can help you understand how bite evaluation or adjustment applies to your coverage. If additional eligible dental treatment is needed, Cherry, Sunbit, Proceed and Care Credit financing is also available with no hard credit check · approval in seconds · and plans from 3 to 24 months.

Your bite used to feel normal. Let’s figure out why it doesn’t now.

If one tooth hits first, a new filling or crown feels too high, or chewing simply hasn’t felt right since dental treatment, we’ll check the contacts and determine whether a precise adjustment can help.