Sometimes you find that your teeth or jaw do not fit together properly, you should understand that orthodontic treatment is required in order to improve the alignment and function of your bite. Braces or clear aligners straighten your teeth, and can also improve your bite.
A poor bite can cause many other problems like TMJ discomfort, speech difficulty, social anxiety, premature wearing of the teeth, and enamel, which may increase the chance of injury to teeth and jaw joints if not treated timely.
Some of the most common bite problems are:
- Overbite
- Underbite
- Spacing
- Open bite
- Crowding
- Crossbite
When your upper jaw overlaps your lower jaw, that is called overbite, and when the lower jaw overlaps the upper jaw, that is called an underbite. When the upper teeth fit behind your lower teeth on closing your mouth or at rest. This condition of teeth is called an underbite. A crossbite may happen in the front or the sides of the mouth and is known to cause wear of the teeth, gum disease, and bone loss.
Some patients may a slight overbite/underbite/crossbite of just one or two millimeters, but others may have more serious bite issues. Too much space in the jaw area or too little space to accommodate one’s teeth may cause the problem of overbite. If not treated timely, the overbite may cause misalignment of your teeth. In infants and children, habits like thumb-sucking, and consistent pacifier use and overuse of a bottle, push the tongue against the back of the teeth and may create an overbite. In teens and adults, other peculiar habits like nail-biting and chewing pencils or other items can cause an overbite.
Non-treatment of overbite for a longer time may cause malocclusion or deep overbite. In this case, an overlap between the upper and lower teeth grows more profound.
Bite correction treatment
Your dentist will refer you to an orthodontist for treatment. It’s easy to treat this problem in children as a child’s jaw is still in the developmental stages. Crowding of teeth in the mouth is the most common issue with children and teenagers. Your orthodontist d will examine the area and plan a treatment that can last for up to two years and possibly longer. At the initial stage, your orthodontic will take x-rays to determine the type of overbite and the relationship between the teeth and the jaw.
Your dentist may recommend some bite correction treatments as per the condition of your teeth.
