Oral Health Link to Whole Body Health: A Blog

Is it Okay for a Person to Chew With Only One Side of Their Mouth?

28 November 2017

Duane Kelly

Whenever you eat a meal, it is natural to chew your food on both sides of your mouth. Your incisors do the cutting, your canines do the tearing and your molars, the crushing and grinding. However, some people have a habit of only chewing their food on one side of their mouth. This is inadvisable and could lead to several future complications, such as:

One Side Will Be More Worn Than the Other

Although the foods humans enjoy today are much softer than those of the past, your teeth will naturally experience some wear and tear over their lifetime. As long as you care for your teeth and chew on both sides of your mouth, your teeth can last a lifetime. However, if you have a habit of chewing on only one side at least most of the time, that side will deteriorate at a much faster rate than the other side.

In time, the teeth on your favoured chewing side will become so worn that they chip and fracture. They will also become smaller as the chewing forces wear them down, causing your bite to become misaligned. A misaligned bite leads to nocturnal grinding, TMJ issues such as headaches and jaw popping, and facial asymmetry.

Your Facial Muscles Will Be Differing Sizes

There are four muscles on each side of your face that are responsible for controlling the chewing action when eat. Like any other set of identical muscles in your body, if you use one more than the other, then the most used set of muscles will grow to be larger than its opposite. From an aesthetical point of view, this will not be beneficial to your appearance.

One side of your face will eventually become more pronounced than the other. The muscles on the lesser used side will not develop very much at all, and the proportions of your face will become asymmetrical or uneven.

One Side Will Get More Cavities

Naturally, chewing on only one side will expose the most used teeth to more food debris than the other side. That is to say, the teeth you use most will have a higher risk of developing plaque and tartar. The surfaces of those teeth will also be more exposed to tooth decay-causing bacteria which could result in cavities.

Likewise, if the teeth on one side of your mouth become so worn that the enamel surfaces wear away, then those teeth will become more sensitive and cavity-prone.

If you find that you favour one side of your mouth whilst chewing, try to train yourself to use the other side just as much. You should also see your dentist if you think the teeth on the favoured side are becoming worn. Contact a dental clinic for more information and assistance. 

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