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Bite is off?

S

SabrinaBee

Junior member
Joined
Aug 25, 2020
Messages
3
Location
New York
It took an incredible amount of courage for me to go to the dentist, especially during Covid, and then something awful happened. I received a large filling for a root cavity on the side of tooth #12. I think this threw my entire bite off, on both sides. This was back in July and the bite and chewing problems are getting worse. It's like one side is higher than the other.

I consulted three dentists about this. One said that the bite was definitely off and wanted to adjust it, while two others said that the teeth were touching and therefore the bite could not be off. They also said that it's impossible for the bite to be changed if the filling is on the side of the tooth and not on a chewing surface. I did not get the bite adjusted but the problem is still there.

My question is, can one's bite be thrown off by a side filling? And also, how could dentists have such different opinions on the same thing? Who to consult about this?
 
It could be that the bite was already off before the filling and you weren't aware of it?
Either way, it should be straightforward to check your bite and make any adjustments necessary.
 
Thanks, Gordon, for your reply. You make a good point about the bite possibly being off before the filling.

I'm not sure how different dentists could come to different opinions about whether the bite is off, as it seems pretty straightforward. Is this an area where a dentist could just get it wrong?

Can a large side filling cause the teeth to shift?
 
One man's "off" is another's "just about OK", there's no easy way to objectify this, sometimes it's just a gut feeling and listening to the patient.
I can't think of a way that a filling in the side of the tooth would make it shift, but bear in mind, teeth move a little bit all the time, it's not like they're solidly in position.
 
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