Strongest muscle in the body??? Anyone???
Arnold schwarzenegger may you think that biceps or thigh muscles are the strongest muscles in the body, but actually it is not.
The strongest muscle based on its weight is the masseter. With all muscles of the jaw working together it can close the teeth with a force as great as 55 pounds (25 kilograms) on the incisors or 200 pounds (90.7 kilograms) on the molars.
https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/muscles.html
In the most recent article in the ADA, a group of researcher looked at the size of the Masseter muscle using MRI and how it related to gender and age. Very interesting findings, confirming some of the previous findings that found consistently higher masticatory
muscle thickness in men as compared to women. Also Among all study participants there was a positive correlation between masseter mass and the amount of force during masticatory performance. (Age- and sex-related differences in masseter size and its role in oral functions – Chia-Shu Lin, DDS, DPhil, et al.)
But how does this relate to dental implants and your teeth? Well, this is the reason why we recommend a night guard to help protect your teeth from breakage and to prevent bone loss around dental implants.
So the next time you are the gym, working on your biceps; may be you should just chew gum and work on your strongest muscle and save money on your gym membership…kidding. Cardiovascular health is just as important. So do not skip the gym just to work on your masseter!
Do not under-estimate the importance of night guard. It will save your, teeth, implants and jaw joints.
Comments are closed.