A common bad habit you might have

[Peco]

It seems that most people get the idea that their teeth should be slightly in contact or even fully in contact at rest. That is absolutely not the case, your teeth should only touch when swallowing or chewing. Or at least that's what I think.

I attribute this misconception mostly to mewing but I frankly don't understand where Dr Mew got the idea that teeth should be slightly in contact. I'm curious if you guys know what justification he gives for that. I personally have tried looking for some studies but couldn't find any that supported the idea. There aren't any studies saying that the best position is with teeth being slightly apart either, but there are some showing that in patients with TMD, tooth contact was a lot higher compared to healthy people. I will link 2 of those just so you can get an idea but there are more.

• Study 1 : https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4263305/
• Study 2 : https://www.jofph.com/articles/10.11607/jofph.21.3.03

The studies also say that it isn't necessarily just clenching that's problematic, even just light contact is enough to cause issues.

Since there are no studies that I know of showing any advantage in keeping teeth in contact and a few studies showing how that could be linked with tmj issues I think it's safe to say that the best option is to keep them apart. So to fix the habit, if you notice your teeth touching during the day bring them slightly apart. Overtime that will fix the issue.

 

[user20266741]

Cope faggot, DNR bluefag

 

[prolarper]

Cope faggot, DNR bluefag

.

 

[sziabattya]

nigga posting the same shit everyday

 

[Peco]

nigga posting the same shit everyday

I posted it again cause I got no replies on the last one, I made it a little shorter this time and more concise

 

[sziabattya]

I posted it again cause I got no replies on the last one

guess why

 

[Peco]

Cope faggot, DNR bluefag

What do you mean cope ? You think they should be kept in contact ? If so why ? Personally by fixing the habit I noticed a lot of improvement with my asymmetry as well as bloatness

 

[Peco]

guess why

Not sure actually, I think it's pretty well written and I believe this is a topic that's worth talking about, seeing how most people keep their teeth in contact. You might think keeping them in contact or not is not gonna change much but I would argue the opposite and I showed studies as proof of that. You can actually see with people that expand their palate as well for example, because that usually fixes their clenching habits and makes their face look a lot less bloated and more symmetrical

 

[insignia_]

Or at least that's what I think.

 

[Peco]

I mean there isn't any study saying "this is the correct position". I don't even know how someone would conduct such a study. So of course I don't try to sell my opinion as the absolute truth. But in the post I did try to rationally explain why I think that is the case. Were you able to read past the first 2 sentences ?

 

[Peco]

Still haven't received a single constructive comment, can't even tell if people agree or not

 

[LegendaryKennen]

mew said lightly touching, idk which is better but u don't want to activate ut masseters at rest and create tension

 

[Peco]

mew said lightly touching, idk which is better but u don't want to activate ut masseters at rest and create tension

I know he supports lightly touching but I don't understand why he says that. I'm not aware of any justification he gives for it and couldn't find any study that supported the idea

 

[insignia_]

I mean there isn't any study saying "this is the correct position". I don't even know how someone would conduct such a study. So of course I don't try to sell my opinion as the absolute truth. But in the post I did try to rationally explain why I think that is the case. Were you able to read past the first 2 sentences ?

Well, I apologize since that was a lazy response.

I did read the rest of your thread. I don’t understand why you’re against the idea of teeth touching at rest. Is that not the normal resting position?

 

[Peco]

Well, I apologize since that was a lazy response.

I did read the rest of your thread. I don’t understand why you’re against the idea of teeth touching at rest. Is that not the normal resting position?

I mean I don't know of any justification or study that explains why you would want your teeth to touch at rest. Also I'm not sure what you mean by normal resting position. How would you determine that ? If by normal you mean the one most people adopt you would be wrong. If you look at the 2 studies I linked (there are more but I put those as examples) they show that regular healthy people actually tend to keep their teeth apart, while people with tmj issues do the opposite.

 

[insignia_]

Also I'm not sure what you mean by normal resting position. How would you determine that ?

I am just saying I imagine it’s uncomfortable and tiring for your muscles if you were to keep your teeth apart, and I would assume there is some issue with someone’s occlusion if their teeth are not touching at rest (like an open bite)

I’ll read the studies you linked soon when I have time to do so

 

[Peco]

I am just saying I imagine it’s uncomfortable and tiring for your muscles if you were to keep your teeth apart, and I would assume there is some issue with someone’s occlusion if their teeth are not touching at rest (like an open bite)

I'd actually say it's a lot more tiring to clench your teeth than it is keeping them apart. Also you shouldn't think of actively trying to keep them apart, but rather just slightly separate them if you notice they are touching.

I don't think they will cause occlusion issues either. Like I said as shown by the studies most people without tmj issues keep their teeth apart. Problems like an open bite are a results of bad habits during development, usually as a result of improper swallowing due to things like extensive use of pacifier or baby bottles. I can assure separating your teeth when you notice they are touching will not cause any of that

I’ll read the studies you linked soon when I have time to do so