Bite Turbos UK — What Are They and Why Do You Need Them?

Not for the first few days. Bite turbos hold your back teeth apart, so only a small number of teeth make contact and chewing feels awkward and inefficient at first. Stick to softer foods, cut everything into smaller pieces, and chew slowly and deliberately — soup, pasta, eggs, fish, yoghurt and well-cooked vegetables all work well. Avoid anything hard or crusty that has to be bitten through with the front teeth. Most people adapt within one to two weeks as the jaw muscles adjust, and normal eating gradually returns. If you still cannot eat comfortably after a fortnight, tell your orthodontist.

Yes — feeling that your bite has changed is exactly what bite turbos are designed to do. They deliberately stop your teeth meeting in their usual position, so the bite will feel propped open, slightly odd and often uneven for the first week or two. Speech may be a little different too. What is not expected is real pain, a turbo that feels dramatically higher than the one on the other side, or a sharp edge cutting into your tongue or cheek. Any of those is worth a call to your orthodontic practice so the turbo can be checked, smoothed or adjusted.

Contact your orthodontic practice, particularly if your teeth have started hitting brackets or wires again. A small chip often does not matter and can wait until your next scheduled appointment, but a turbo that has come off completely removes the protection it was providing and may stall the bite correction it was placed for. In the meantime, eat soft foods and avoid biting hard on that side. Take note of when it came away and whether both sides are affected — replacing a turbo is a quick chairside job, so it rarely needs an emergency visit unless something sharp is left behind.

Bite turbos do not damage healthy enamel when they are placed and removed properly. They are made from the same tooth-coloured dental composite or glass ionomer used for fillings and brackets, bonded to the enamel surface, and taken off at the end by polishing away the material — the tooth itself is not drilled or reshaped. The small risks are the ordinary ones of any bonded attachment: plaque collecting around the edges if brushing is neglected, which can leave white spot marks, and slight surface roughness if polishing is rushed. Brush carefully around them and mention any lingering rough edge at your next visit.

Bite turbos typically remain in place for a few weeks to several months depending on the severity of the bite problem being corrected. Once the deep bite or crossbite has opened sufficiently to protect the brackets and allow continued tooth movement, your orthodontist will polish them off at a routine appointment.

This is intentional. Bite turbos deliberately prevent your upper and lower teeth from meeting in their usual position so that the bite can be corrected without brackets being damaged. Most patients adapt to this within one to two weeks. The jaw muscles adjust and eating soft foods in smaller bites becomes manageable fairly quickly.