Ok, well I have been practicing Bak Mei for a while now and this is a question that I have for some time and have gotten different answers.

Now, in the Hakka styles(for those that are not aware) we use a bit of hard qigong in our forms/drills/basic warmups/etc... and when we do we are taught to clench our teeth. I believe this is to strengthen the neck muscles for the release of ging and increase our ability to take blows to the head.

In softer qigong we are taught to have the teeth lightly touch in order to keep the circuit. Also, it is taught that it is best to keep the teeth touching at all times to constantly keep the qi flowing smoothly and also to have the teeth in position to be clenched if need be.

My question is this: what part of the teeth touch/clench? just the front teeth? all the teeth? the molars only? my teeth aren't perfect and the front teeth are longer than the back, is this a problem? if I clench hard with the front, i can almost have the back teeth touch, will this create dental issues ?