Purpose of bite blocks / molar build ups

[kingofsweden]

Hello!

I got my ceramic braces put on 1 week ago and also got this bite blocks / molar buildups on some of my upper teeth in the back. These things are super inconvenient for me and makes it hard to eat and worst of all i have a lisp du to my bite being open.

Do these things serve a purpose outside of keeping my from biting the brackets? Are they in anyway helping to fix my bite? Without the bite blocks i have a posterior crossbite and edge to edge bite in the front.

I think i will have a easier time to accept them if they are helping correct my bite so thats why i ask.

[djspeece]

The one thing I was grateful for during my treatment was that I did not require bite blocks. . I think you might find some comfort with the idea that they are helping your bite in an indirect way, i.e., keeping you from screwing up your brackets, which of course are doing the heavy lifting. But, I am certainly not an expert. The search function on this board works well, and you might try the term "bite blocks" or some variation if you get a million hits (e.g., "bite block purpose" or something). Lots of people have successfully, albeit unhappily, endured them. Best of luck to you.

[trifecta]

I was not as lucky. I had blue composite on the biting surfaces of the second molars on both sides at the start of my treatment in 2009, Primary reason for the blocks was to open the bite to avoid contact with the brackets. I think blocks are also used at times to open the bite so that cusp tips of teeth can be moved past each other during treatment when this is necessary. A cross bite may be one of those times. Ask your doc if they are needed for any reason beyond protecting the brackets. I can relate to them being annoying! Eventually you get used to it, kind of.