What are dental excursions?

No, I am not referring to trips like the cruise featured above. Usually, when we dentists talk about excursions we are referring to the movement of the lower teeth against the upper teeth when the mandible moves either side to side, forward or some combination of these two directions. Excursions ( actually "excursive movements") are important  because , when teeth contact while mandible moves ( the maxilla is fixed and never moves!) there can be wear on teeth and can cause breakage of restorations.

We dentists tend to obsess about possible tooth excursions and the shape of our restorations, since if they contact with too much force against opposing teeth it may cause a problem.  Porcelain surfaces that contact with too much force can fracture and the teeth holding these restorations may become painful ( due to occlusal trauma).  Also since teeth tend to wear over time , their teeth may meet other teeth differently over time when they move their jaws around.

Younger people tend to be more likely to have lateral excursions protected by their anterior teeth (these teeth hit when they move their jaws side to side), but as they age their anterior teeth can wear and allow more posterior contact during side to side jaw movements ( more like a "cow bite" where all teeth contact during excursions).

If I have fabricated multiple dental crowns or veneers for a patient, I almost always recommend they wear a night guard while they sleep to ensure that forces will be distributed evenly on all teeth and restorations and hopefully my patients restored teeth will stay intact and comfortable for a long time.