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The Bruxism Solution · On Kindle

The invisible braces you wear all day

Mohamed Basha

Oct 27

1 min read

Do You Know? For patients.

Your teeth sit where they do because of a balance of gentle, constant forces from the tongue on the inside and the lips and cheeks on the outside.

How it works

The resting pressure of the tongue and lips, held for hours each day, matters more than the brief forces of chewing or swallowing.
Habits that change that balance, such as a low tongue posture, mouth breathing, thumb sucking or lip biting, can move teeth over time.
This is also why teeth can drift after orthodontic treatment, and why retainers matter.

What you can do

Rest with lips together and the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
Wear retainers as advised after braces.
Mention habits such as clenching or lip biting at your check-up.

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This article is general information and not a substitute for an examination.

Reference

Proffit WR. Equilibrium theory revisited: factors influencing position of the teeth. Angle Orthod. 1978;48(3):175-86.

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