Most people care a lot about their smile and its appearance. As a dentist, I help a great many people attain a beautiful and sparkling smile, but what about the foundation of that smile?
The foundation of your smile depends on all of your teeth, and that includes the back or posterior teeth. Those teeth are responsible for much of the chewing you do, and for supporting your bite. They provide the vertical support necessary to keep your bite properly aligned, and your teeth straight. This is called posterior support.
I often draw the analogy of a house to illustrate the purpose of good posterior support. Much like your smile, the house rests on a strong foundation, and if that foundation deteriorates, as it can in a number of ways, the entire house is likely to be severely damaged or collapse all-together. The same is true for your posterior teeth. In fact, your front teeth provide no support at all and they rely completely on the back teeth to keep them in the right position. Without good posterior support, the front teeth are destined to “crash” into each other.
With the progressive loss of posterior support, there are serious consequences that will develop. Chewing will become more difficult, and more stress will be put on the remaining teeth which will wear at a higher rate. As loss of posterior support continues, the front teeth experience heavier pressure and start to chip, crack and break rather quickly.
To avoid the problems that can occur, keep your back teeth strong and healthy. Be sure to restore weakened teeth early with crowns, replace missing back teeth, wear a grinding appliance if it’s been recommended and keep your gums healthy with great home care and regular checkups with your dental hygienist.
If you feel like you may have issues with posterior support or are unsure of the condition of your back teeth, give us a call to book a checkup. You can book an appointment at Forman Dental using our
online appointment booking tool or by calling (905) 303-9355.
