Crossbite
A crossbite can show up at the front or sides of the mouth, where one or more upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth. It can involve a single tooth or several, and early correction is recommended.
Crossbite should be corrected because it can:
- cause premature wear of the teeth
- cause gum disease, including bone loss
- lead to asymmetrical jaw development
- create dysfunctional chewing patterns
- make your smile less attractive
How can a crossbite be corrected?
For a single-tooth crossbite, braces can move the tooth into the right position, and in some cases a retainer does the job. When several teeth are involved, we expand the arch with braces or other appliances.
Openbite
An openbite is when the teeth don’t overlap enough vertically. It’s often caused by habits like tongue thrust or digit sucking, or by jaws that grow unevenly. Timing is critical to treating it successfully.
How can an openbite be corrected?
We can correct an openbite by guiding jaw growth with braces, extruding the front teeth, and in some cases surgically correcting the jaws. Breaking habits such as digit sucking also helps.
Overbite
Class II Overbite
An overbite is when the upper front teeth protrude over the lower front teeth, usually with little to no contact between them, sometimes hiding the lower incisors entirely. It comes from too much eruption of the front teeth, overdeveloped supporting bone, or a front-to-back growth difference between the jaws (a Class II relationship). It’s also called a deep bite.
An overbite should be corrected because it can:
- cause your front teeth to function improperly
- let the lower front teeth bite into the gum tissue of the upper palate, leading to tissue problems
- cause unusual wear of the lower front teeth
- lead to jaw or joint problems
- make your smile less attractive
How can an overbite be corrected?
We can move the front teeth up and bring the back teeth together to open the bite, aligning the teeth and eliminating the deep bite.
Overjet
Class II Overjet
Overjet, also called protrusion, is when the lower teeth sit too far behind the upper front teeth. It can come from misaligned molars (a Class II relationship), a skeletal imbalance between the jaws, flared upper incisors, missing lower teeth, or a mix of these. Habits like thumb sucking, finger sucking, or tongue thrusting can make it worse.
Overjet should be corrected because it can:
- keep the front teeth from functioning properly
- lead to premature wear
- make your smile less attractive
How can overjet be corrected?
We can correct overjet by guiding growth with a functional appliance and/or elastics to reduce the skeletal imbalance, or by removing teeth.
Underbite
Class III Underbite
An underbite is when the lower teeth protrude past the upper front teeth. It’s usually caused by an undergrown upper jaw, an overgrown lower jaw, or both (a Class III relationship), and it can also involve flared upper incisors or missing lower teeth. Early correction is recommended.
An underbite should be corrected because it can:
- keep the front teeth and molars from functioning properly, leading to premature wear
- cause chewing or eating problems
- lead to jaw or joint problems
- make your smile less attractive
How can an underbite be corrected?
We can correct an underbite by guiding jaw growth, removing teeth, and in some cases surgically correcting the jaws.