As opposed to a balanced bite (click), An unbalanced bite can cause hyperactivity of the jaw muscles which will cause damage to the teeth, the bone supporting the teeth, the jaw joint or TMJ and the jaw muscles themselves. Pain is often associated with these damaged structures.
The left side shows a balanced bite with proper muscle activity. The right side an unbalanced bite with destructive muscle function.
1) An unbalanced bite can damage the teeth:
The damage to the teeth can be subtle, or very obvious when excessive grinding of the teeth or bruxing is involved.
Severe tooth wear caused by bruxing or grinding.
2) An unbalanced bite can damage the bone around the teeth:
3) An unbalanced bite can also damage the jaw joint (TMJ):
Damaged jaw joint (TMJ).