After composite filling on tooth my bite has been off. Advice on what I should do?

The problem that you are discussing is common when a considerable amount of dental work has been completed on one side.  It should not be necessary to have braces or any teeth taken out to correct this problem.  You should seek out a dentist that has extensive training in "bite equilibration" and have them assess the situation.  By doing a slight occlusal adjustment you should be able to get in a place where your bite feels comfortable again.  Be sure that when your bite is being adjusted that you are sitting in an upright position and not laying flat on your back in the chair.  The bite is always a little different when you are laying back and this is not the way that you function day to day.  Good luck. 

 

Dafney,

As mentioned previously, you are one on of the "lucky" souls with a very precise occlusal (bite) pattern.  When people with a very small occlusal comfort zone are thrown out of that zone, generally symptoms develop.  Sounds like your situation.  Definitely don't let anyone grind on your teeth further unless they understand your situation fully as they could cause even greater damage.  I am a fellow at the Las Vegas Institute (LVI) which advocates the use of nueromuscular principles in treating occlusal problems.  This has been a great solution to many of the people that come to my office with these occlusal problems.  I would recommend you Google "nueromuscular dentistry" and find out more and also find a dentist in your area that practices nueromuscular dentistry.  He will not adjust your bite until he is sure that is the correct solution.

It sounds like you have had a fair amount of dentistry done on the left side. Often when large restorations are placed the bite will change to a degree. In some people these changes are almost unnoticeable. Other people have a large degree of sensitivity to any change in the bite. If your current dentist cannot fix your bite comfortably, I would recommend finding a dentist that has experience in occlusal adjustment. It may take a bit of diagnostic work to find out exactly what the problem is. Getting braces may be unneccesay if you see the right dentist. Best of luck.

Hi,

It's not fully possible to diagnose your full situation based on your email, but your last comment was telling.  You mentioned that you don't feel any contact on that side when you bite down.

Sounds like your bite may have been adjusted so that you feel more contact on the other side now.  This can be tricky, but it's best ot see your dentist and share exactly what you're feeling.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

I would go back to the Dentist that did the work and explain what you are feeling. Many times the slightest interference on one of your teeth or multiple teeth can cause problems. You need to think about how sensitive or proprioceptive that your mouth is. If I were to pull a hair off of your head and tell you to bite down, you would more than likely be able to tell me where that hair is. This is not a simple answer. It could be as easy as a few more adjustments ,or it could be something more.  Don't panic. Call your dentist, and I am sure you will be able to resolve this in tiem with them.