Is it OK to chew on one side?

[carrieann]

Since I was braced almost 6 MO ago I have only chewed on the right side. This is because I have a missing tooth on the lower left side which has a spring and a gap for an implant. Gap is positioned right where I would chew food so I it feels unstable to chew over there and I'm afraid I'll break the spring/wire that bridges across. Do you think only chewing on one side will affect my jaw or atrophy the other side? I forgot to consult my ortho yesterday about this.

[Ziggy]

Ask your ortho, but I think most people favor one side braces or not.

[BracesGuy]

Not specific to your situation but there was a published case of a steroid user who chewed on one side and the muscle on that side grew larger. Links below:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11709687
http://www.ergo-log.com/lopsided.html

[carrieann]

Not specific to your situation but there was a published case of a steroid user who chewed on one side and the muscle on that side grew larger. Links below:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11709687
http://www.ergo-log.com/lopsided.html

OK geez I better start evening this out. Thank you!