The causes and hazards of eating with one tooth

In daily life, some people often use one side of their teeth to eat, while leaving the other side alone. If this continues for a long time, it will lead to asymmetry of the two sides of the face. Affects the appearance. In severe cases, it will affect the development of the mandible, causing offset jaw and hypertrophy of the mandibular angle. Because the muscles on one side are frequently exercised through chewing, the blood circulation is sufficient and the face performs normally, while the muscles on the other side do not get exercise, so the face becomes crooked.

The causes of frequent unilateral eating

Reason 1: The formation of unilateral eating habits is mainly caused by oneself. Some people have various diseases on one side of their teeth, such as caries, pulpitis, apical periodontitis, gingivitis, periodontitis, tooth fractures, hidden cracks, etc., which cause pain.

But I was afraid to go to the hospital for treatment and could not get effective treatment for a long time. I was afraid that eating would cause pain in the affected tooth, so I had to bite things with the other side.

Reason 2: Because more teeth are missing on one side and have not been repaired for a long time, the chewing ability and efficiency are low, so you have to use the teeth on the other side to eat.

In addition, if some teeth have poor periodontal conditions, are obviously loose, and lack strength when biting, or have a lot of cavities and food often gets stuck in the teeth, people will gradually give up using the teeth on this side and slowly develop the habit of eating with the teeth on the other side.

The habit of eating with one side of the teeth is also called unilateral chewing, which means that only one side of the teeth is used to chew each meal, while the other side is idle.

Since the functions of the masticatory muscles on both sides are different, the maxillofacial area will become asymmetrical, with one side larger than the other, affecting the appearance. In severe cases, it will affect the development of the mandible, causing offset jaw and hypertrophy of the mandibular angle.

The dangers of eating with one-sided chewing

1. The harm of children chewing on one side

It will affect the growth and development of children's facial bones and muscles: if they often eat with one side of their teeth, the chewing movements on this side will be frequent, causing the jaw and facial muscles to overdevelop while the other side will be underdeveloped.

Over time, the two sides of the face will become different sizes, making it look like the face is tilted to one side, seriously affecting the facial appearance.

If the face has developed into a crooked shape, it is very difficult to correct it. The habit of eating on one side can also directly affect the developmental deformity of the child's temporomandibular joint. Over time, temporomandibular joint disease, joint pain, clicking, and difficulty opening the mouth will occur.

In addition, unilateral eating may cause deformity of the dental occlusion, resulting in one side of the teeth being "underbite", also known as crossbite.

2. The harm of unilateral chewing in adults

Long-term unilateral eating in adults can cause temporomandibular joint disease, which can cause joint pain and popping when opening and closing the mouth, causing many inconveniences in life and work. They are also very prone to tooth decay, gingivitis, and periodontal disease, and the atrophy of periodontal tissue occurs earlier and develops more rapidly than in people who eat bilaterally.