The Most Common Bite Issues
At the Best Braces, we are happy to treat patients of all ages. We treat children, teens, and adults and help them restore the placement of their teeth and repair any issues with jaw development. One common issue we see with many of our patients is a concern with a bad bite, which is also referred to as malocclusion. This refers to the way the teeth meet each other when your upper and lower jaws are touching. Issues with bite are best treated as soon as possible, so it’s important to know what you are looking for because there are a variety of bite issues that one can have.
Common Malocclusion Problems
A bad bite can be caused by a number of issues, such as genetics, thumbsucking, mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, or prolonged pacifier or bottle use. Bite issues can also be caused by dental issues, such as impacted teeth, extra teeth, missing teeth, or trauma to the mouth. Before we can make a treatment recommendation, we need to determine the type of bad bite you have. The types of bad bites include:
- Overbite – when the top front teeth extend far over the bottom teeth
- Underbite – when the lower jaw sticks out and the bottom teeth are in front of the top teeth
- Crossbite – the jaw shifts to the right or left because the top and bottom jaw do not align
- Open Bite – the top and bottom jaw don’t close, leaving space between
- Overjet – the top front teeth stick out too far (also known as buck teeth)
- Widely spaced teeth – having too much space between teeth
- Crowding – when teeth don’t have enough room to come through the gums or teeth are too close together
- Misaligned Dental Midlines – the space between the center top teeth and the center bottom teeth do not align
If you are located in Southfield, MI or the surrounding area and are concerned about your bite or the bite of a loved one, be sure to contact our office to schedule a consultation. We will be happy to perform an evaluation and make our treatment recommendations. We look forward to hearing from you soon.