Best Practices for Bite Force and Teeth Management
Your bite force—how hard you bite down—might seem like just a basic function of eating. But it's actually hugely important for keeping your teeth healthy. Normal biting uses forces between 400 to 900 Newtons (a measure of force), mostly when chewing with back teeth. However, if you grind your teeth at night or clench during stress, forces can exceed 1200 Newtons—and that's more than your teeth were designed to handle.
Measuring Your Bite Force
Your dentist can check if your bite forces are balanced and appropriate using special technology. One method is a bite force gauge that measures exactly how hard you're biting. Another tool creates a digital map showing which teeth are hitting hard and which are hitting light. This helps your dentist spot problems before they cause damage.
The traditional method uses special paper that shows bite contacts as colored marks. Where the marks are darkest, you're biting hardest. If only one side is marked, you're shifting all your force to one side. If your front teeth show heavy marks while your back teeth show light marks, that creates functional problems.
Checking for fremitus is a simple clinical test. Your dentist gently holds your teeth while you clench, feeling for vibration. Excessive tooth movement means forces are concentrating on that tooth, causing wear and stress.
Balancing Your Bite
If your bite shows heavy spots in the wrong places, your dentist can adjust it through selective grinding. This involves carefully removing tiny amounts of tooth material from specific areas where you're biting too hard. Done correctly, it balances your bite and often reduces jaw discomfort or headaches.
Your canine teeth (the pointed teeth near your front) should guide side-to-side movements, protecting your back teeth from damaging sideways forces. If your back teeth are hitting hard when you move your jaw side to side, your dentist will adjust them so your canines do most of the work.
The goal is minimal grinding using careful technique. Your dentist removes only what's necessary to fix the problem. After adjustment, you should feel improved comfort and more balanced biting.
Grinding and Clenching Management
If you grind your teeth at night (the noise might even wake your partner), or if you find yourself clenching during stressful situations, a custom-made night guard protects your teeth. This thick acrylic appliance covers all your teeth, distributing grinding forces across your entire mouth instead of concentrating them on individual teeth.
Your dentist makes this guard from molds of your teeth, fitting it perfectly to your mouth. Wear it every night. The guard will gradually show wear marks—even deep indentations—as it takes the punishment that your teeth would otherwise receive. When you see how much wear the guard accumulates, you realize just how hard you're grinding.
Beyond a night guard, addressing the underlying cause helps. Stress management, relaxation techniques, and sometimes talking to a counselor about anxiety reduces grinding. Some people benefit from reducing caffeine or alcohol, which can trigger grinding. If conservative measures don't help, your doctor might recommend medications that relax muscles during sleep.
Choosing Restorations That Match Your Bite
When your dentist recommends a crown, veneer, or filling, they consider your bite forces. If you're a heavy grinder or clencher, all-ceramic crowns aren't the best choice because they're more fragile than other materials. Metal or metal-and-ceramic combinations handle high forces better.
Different restoration materials require different thicknesses to be strong enough. All-ceramic needs to be thicker (at least 0.8 millimeters) to avoid breaking. Metal-ceramic needs less thickness because the metal underneath provides strength. Your dentist ensures restorations are thick enough to survive your bite force.
Your dentist also checks that your new restoration hits your bite correctly. If it sits higher than your other teeth, all your force concentrates on that one tooth, causing problems. If it sits lower, you'll feel like something's off when you bite. Proper adjustment ensures forces distribute evenly.
Treating Damaged Teeth
Teeth with large fillings or that have had root canals are more likely to crack under heavy forces because they've lost internal strength. Your dentist often recommends crowns for these teeth rather than large fillings. A crown protects the remaining tooth structure.
Some dentists use onlay restorations instead of crowns for teeth with extensive damage. An onlay covers the chewing surface and sides of the tooth, protecting weak areas while preserving some original tooth structure.
Protect teeth showing signs of damage—like flattened chewing surfaces or visible cracks—with night guards. Addressing the underlying grinding or clenching habit prevents further damage.
When Your Bite Causes Jaw Problems
Some people experience jaw pain, clicking, or other problems related to their bite. If your bite has premature contact points or if one side of your mouth does most of the work, it strains your jaw joints.
Your dentist evaluates whether bite adjustment or a night guard helps. Sometimes physical therapy or jaw exercises help. Occasionally, your doctor might recommend a bite splint—a more formal appliance than a night guard that's designed specifically to reduce jaw joint stress.
Never assume jaw pain is permanent. Many times, balancing your bite through adjustment, using a night guard, and managing stress significantly improves or eliminates jaw discomfort.
Protecting Your Teeth Long-Term
Document your grinding or clenching habits. If your partner hears grinding noise, if you wake with sore jaw muscles, if your teeth show flattened surfaces, or if you have trouble with hard foods, mention all this to your dentist. These observations help guide treatment decisions.
Avoid very hard foods if you're a heavy biter. Skip chewing ice, hard candy, and very chewy foods that can damage teeth already stressed by grinding or clenching.
Periodic dental visits let your dentist monitor your teeth for developing problems. Catching a crack early, before it becomes deep, saves your tooth. Replacing a worn-down restoration before it fails prevents more serious problems.
When to Seek Specialist Help
If your jaw problems are significant, if grinding causes severe wear, or if standard night guards don't help, ask your dentist about referral to a specialist. Some dentists specialize in bite problems and jaw disorders and have additional training and equipment for managing complex cases.
Managing bite force properly protects your teeth and jaw for life. When your dentist assesses your bite, balances any prematurities, helps you manage grinding or clenching, and selects restorations appropriate to your bite strength, you're protecting your teeth from premature wear and damage. This preventive approach is far better than dealing with broken teeth and jaw problems down the road.
References
1. Klineberg I, Jandt KD. Occlusion and Oral Physiology. 2nd ed. Quintessence Publishing; 2015. 2. Ramfjord SP, et al. Periodontal disease of the permanent and primary dentitions in monkeys. J Dent Res. 1966;45(5):1432-1449. 3. Seligman DA, et al. The validity of diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders. J Am Dent Assoc. 1992;123(4):90-96. 4. Poorman GW. Review of intercuspal contacts in centric relation. J Prosthet Dent. 1976;36(3):305-310. 5. American Academy of Prosthodontics. Complete Denture Prosthodontics. 5th ed.
Wiley-Blackwell; 2015. 6. Lobbezoo F, et al. International consensus on the assessment of bruxism: report of a work in progress. J Oral Rehabil. 2018;45(9):675-681. 7. Nohl FS, et al. Bite force measurement in natural and restored dentitions. Int J Dent. 2016;2016:1-8. 8. Kois JC, Phillips KM. Occlusal considerations in esthetic dentistry. J Esthet Dent. 1997;9(6):243-253. 9. Conry JP, et al. The effect of occlusal adjustment on patients with temporomandibular disorders. J Prosthet Dent. 1989;61(6):812-815. 10. Türkün M, et al. One-year clinical evaluation of the direct resin composite restorations on cuspal coverage of vital posterior teeth. J Adhes Dent. 2005;7(2):169-178.
Related reading: Filling Materials Compared: Which Lasts the Longest? and Emergency Tooth Pain: What You Need to Know.
Conclusion
Wiley-Blackwell; 2015. 6. Lobbezoo F, et al. Talk to your dentist about how this applies to your situation.
> Key Takeaway: Systematic assessment and management of occlusal forces reduces fracture rates, restoration failure, and premature tooth loss.