I had a gold bridge for 25 years( #18-#20), after that had a ceramic bridge for 16 years. No problems whatsoever. Ceramic bridge broke and new one made by dentist who made the ceramic bridge. As soon as the dentist put the temporary bridge in I stated biting my left cheek, then right cheek then my teeth would clash and slide whether I was eating or not. Doctor has 30 years experience. Been with him for 25 years. He said that my cheek was trying to fill in the space from my lower teeth so he made the pontic larger which did not solve the problem. I got a second opinion and he said the overlay was insufficient causing the cheek biting. The doctor that made the bridge reduced the width of the pontic but not the size of the pontic. It is a struggle to get the floss threader through the bridge because the holes are so small. I'm still biting my cheek sometimes as well as my tongue and lips but no clash and sliding. What is the correct size of an overlay? If it is insufficient would this be the reason for my cheek biting or what could cause me all this trouble made by a dentist with 30 years experience?
Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.
Well, the size of bridge will depend on the size of your teeth and jaw and so is the side of the onlay.
In layman's terms, from your explanation, it looks like the bridge is quite large in size that is causing impinging over the cheeks leading to cheek bite.
So, my suggestion is to consult a Prosthodontist and get evaluated and a thorough examination should be done.
In case if the present bridge cannot be corrected, you can get a new one fabricated with proper measurements and also with reference of your gold bridge if you have one.
With a proper sized bridge, your problem of cheek bite will be resolved.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards, Dr. Honey Arora
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How Can Cheek Bites Be Treated?
Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice. Well, the size of bridge will depend on the size of your teeth and jaw and so is the side of the onlay. In layman s terms, from your explanation, it looks like the bridge is quite large in size that is causing impinging over the cheeks leading to cheek bite. So, my suggestion is to consult a Prosthodontist and get evaluated and a thorough examination should be done. In case if the present bridge cannot be corrected, you can get a new one fabricated with proper measurements and also with reference of your gold bridge if you have one. With a proper sized bridge, your problem of cheek bite will be resolved. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Honey Arora