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Bite Problems 101
Dental bite problems are actually quite common and are also commonly bothersome. But, these malocclusions aren’t simply a bother, in fact, they can cause some pretty serious issues, such as speech difficulties, and premature wear of enamel and teeth, and can even increase the chances of injury to your jaw joints and teeth.
So, these dental bite problems are best treated right away. And if you happen to be having dental bite problems of your own, or need a tooth bridge treatment, you can always click here, since the team at Simply Teeth will be more than happy to help. Without further ado, let’s move on to discussing the most common dental bite problems, their causes, and the ways to treat them.
Common Dental Bite Problems
So, what do dental bite problems actually mean? Well, malocclusion, also known as a bad bite is a condition where the upper teeth and lower teeth don’t meet properly inside the mouth. If left untreated these malocclusions can lead to problems chewing food, speaking, joint pain, and sometimes even headaches. There’s a plethora of bite problems and there are also ways to solve them. We will now go over some of the most common malocclusions below.
Overbite
A malocclusion can be classified as an overbite when the upper teeth are covering parts of the lower teeth. A condition like this can result in wearing down the front teeth and damage to the gum tissue.
Underbite
Opposite of the overbite, an underbite, also known as an anterior crossbite, is characterized by the lower jaw being in front of the upper jaw. This arrangement can lead to jaw problems, headaches, and sometimes even TMJ disorders.
Crossbite
When the upper teeth fit inside of the lower teeth, it’s a condition we commonly refer to as a crossbite. This malocclusion can affect one tooth or even multiple teeth. It can make chewing and biting difficult and if left untreated will worsen with time.
Openbite
When it comes to open bites, we can divide them into two categories: anterior and posterior open bites. An anterior open bite is characterized by upper and lower teeth not touching when you put your back teeth together while a posterior open bite refers to the opposite, when the back teeth don’t touch while the front ones do. An open bite is known to negatively influence swallowing and even speech capabilities of patients.
Crowding
There are cases when there isn’t enough space in your mouth for all of your adult teeth to come in properly. This is when crowding takes place. Other than affecting the appearance of your smile, crowding can make proper teeth cleaning harder, resulting in an increased risk of cavities and gum diseases.
Spacing
On the other hand, spacing happens when there is too much space in the jaw. Teeth come in with big gaps between each other which makes it easier for food particles to get stuck in them as well as making it easier for plaque to form. Similarly, this results in more cavities and gum diseases.
Dental Midlines
When the midlines of the upper and lower teeth don’t line up properly it can cause many dental issues as well as jaw issues. Correction of such issues can be a tedious process.
Bad Bite Causes
There are various factors that can play a part in causing a bad bite. In certain cases, for example, a bad bite can simply be genetic. However, in many other cases, it’s caused by certain habits or conditions. These can alter the shape and structure of the jaw, and in turn, affect the teeth. Some, but not all causes:
- Injuries that affect the jaw
- Chronic thumb-sucking throughout early childhood
- Abnormally shaped teeth
- Impacted teeth
- Tumors affecting the mouth or the jaw
- Poor oral and dental care
- Prolonged bottle feeding
- Prolonged pacifier use
- Cleft lip and palate
- Mouth breathing
- Enlarged tonsils or adenoids
- Dental bridge problems bite
Bad Bite Treatment Options
When it comes to treating a bad bite, it’s safe to say that there are many ways to do that. With that in mind, let’s go over the most popular ones.
Braces
Dental braces are a fairly standard way to treat a bad bite in both children and adults. The optimal treatment time for children is between the ages of 8 and 14. But, adults can also use braces as an effective orthodontic treatment, however, due to their age, the whole process will take longer.
Tooth Removal
When too many teeth cause a bad bite, the logical solution is to remove some of them. And, that’s exactly what’s done in many cases of children and teens, due to their remaining baby teeth. However, tooth removal is also done in adults, though only in cases of really severe overbites.
Dental Veneers
With slight, less problematic overbites, dental veneers can be used as a correction method, improving the shape of the teeth.
Rear Teeth Replacement
Sometimes a bad bite is caused by damaged or missing rear teeth, so, tooth replacement and restoration are used as treatment methods.
Headgear Braces
Headgear braces are a good general option, since they treat crowded teeth, crooked teeth, and misaligned jaws. And, there are different types of headgear braces depending on whether you have an underbite or an overbite. Retraction braces pull back your upper jaw in order to correct an underbite, and protraction braces correct an overbite by doing the opposite .
Upper Jaw Expanders
A jaw expander is used in underbite correction cases. Essentially, a wireframe is fitted inside of the upper palate. The way it functions is by widening the upper jaw so that it will be pulled back and leveled with your lower jaw.
Jaw Surgery
When other treatments aren’t particularly useful, jaw correction surgery is the remaining option. This is a lengthy, but effective form of correction. It lasts three years, starting with the first step which involves wearing braces and such in order to start the correction. And, the second step involves jaw surgery. During this process metal plates, screws, and wires are used to reshape and reposition the jaw.
