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Malocclusions: What Makes a Bite Bad?

Live Life Smiling

malocclusion
  • Holmes and Palmer Orthodontics
  • January 19, 2022

 

HUMAN TEETH ARE supposed to fit together in a particular way. That’s how we can speak clearly and chew effectively. If someone’s upper and lower teeth don’t fit together properly, we call it a malocclusion or bad bite. Besides impeding the important functions of chewing and speaking, a malocclusion can lead to jaw problems, increase the risk of teeth breaking, and it can even impact the digestion process.

What Causes a Bad Bite?

In some cases, malocclusions are the result of genetics. If a child inherits large teeth from Dad and small teeth from Mom, they’ll probably have some issues with crowding and alignment, including a bad bite. Some of the oral habits many children have in their developmental years can also impact the way their adult teeth fit together, like thumbsucking, lip sucking, tongue thrusting, nail-biting, teeth clenching, and mouth breathing.

That might seem like a lot of ways to end up with a bad bite, but these bad oral habits can be broken. Parents can help their kids develop a better bite in the long run by discouraging these habits as they grow — something that’s also important to do after orthodontic treatment so that their teeth end up back where they started!

Types of Malocclusions

In a healthy bite, the upper teeth should sit slightly past the lower teeth when the jaws are closed, with the points of the upper molars fitting into the grooves of the lower molars. Here are five of the most common ways a bite can deviate from the healthy norm:

  1. In an excessive overbite, the upper teeth overjet or overlap the lower teeth more than they should.
  2. A deep bite is such a severe overbite that the upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth entirely, sometimes driving the lower front teeth into the upper gum tissue, risking injury to it.
  3. An open bite, sometimes the result of a tongue thrust habit or aggressive thumbsucking beyond the preschool years, involves flared upper front teeth and a gap between them and their lower counterparts when biting down.
  4. A crossbite happens when some upper teeth are on the outside and some lower teeth are on the outside when biting down.
  5. An underbite is when the lower teeth jut out in front of the upper teeth when the jaw is closed.

Correcting Malocclusions with Orthodontic Treatment

Any of these bad bites can be corrected by modern orthodontic treatment, typically with much less of the bulky headgear we see in older movies. It’s also less common to need to resort to jaw surgery in modern orthodontics, although severe cases sometimes still require it. We tend to use much lower profile and more hassle-free treatment for malocclusions today, and we love that we can offer these kinds of solutions to our patients.

Schedule an Initial Consultation

If you suspect you might have one of the types of malocclusions described above or some other form of orthodontic issue, don’t wait to schedule a consultation with us. We can take a look and give you an idea of the treatment process we would use to give you the properly aligned smile you deserve!

From our team to our patients, we love our practice family!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

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EVERY SMILE TELLS A SPECIAL STORY

We are thankful for the opportunity to serve our community with excellent care and take pride in our mission of having a patient-centered philosophy. Check out what our patients are saying about us!

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Shawna B.
My son is a patient and everyone is so nice and very Great with Patients.Dr is amazing and always so good at explaining everything...I would refer these Drs and Nurses 100 times over...Thank You all for everything you do to make sure my babys have a beautiful smile...😁
Shawna B.
My son is a patient and everyone is so nice and very Great with Patients.Dr is amazing and always so good at explaining everything...I would refer these Drs and Nurses 100 times over...Thank You all for everything you do to make sure my babys have a beautiful smile...😁
Norenea C.
Three of my children are patients of this office and I have to say that the staff and drs are all very polite & courteous. They really take the time to explain everything to their patients in ways that make sense for every age.
Norenea C.
Three of my children are patients of this office and I have to say that the staff and drs are all very polite & courteous. They really take the time to explain everything to their patients in ways that make sense for every age.
Lisa L.
My daughter, Gabi, goes to the Teays Valley/Hurricane office. She’s not had anything but good experiences. Everyone is super nice from the receptionist to the doctor. She’s having a great experience with her braces. The hygienist is always super helpful with any questions we may have. They have been amazing through all of my daughters care so far.
Lisa L.
My daughter, Gabi, goes to the Teays Valley/Hurricane office. She’s not had anything but good experiences. Everyone is super nice from the receptionist to the doctor. She’s having a great experience with her braces. The hygienist is always super helpful with any questions we may have. They have been amazing through all of my daughters care so far.
Jane E.
It isn't always easy to find providers that are especially patient and kind to patients with special needs. This group ALWAYS go put of their way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The staff is wonderful! We are extremely blessed to have the orthodontic cate we need from this business.
Jane E.
It isn't always easy to find providers that are especially patient and kind to patients with special needs. This group ALWAYS go put of their way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The staff is wonderful! We are extremely blessed to have the orthodontic cate we need from this business.
Pam C.
All Dr. And staff were very professional and friendly. Would definitely recommend their service.****
Pam C.
All Dr. And staff were very professional and friendly. Would definitely recommend their service.****
Autumn C.
My sons had appointments to get braces put on and mouthpiece to help with overbite issues. The staff was phenomenal when it came to helping and comforting my child with autism and they were super friendly at making my youngest fill comfortable every time we’ve visited them. Highly recommend them!!
Autumn C.
My sons had appointments to get braces put on and mouthpiece to help with overbite issues. The staff was phenomenal when it came to helping and comforting my child with autism and they were super friendly at making my youngest fill comfortable every time we’ve visited them. Highly recommend them!!
Amber P.
Very friendly and welcoming staff. My son was nervous, but they made him feel safe and excited about getting braces. I would highly recommend Holmes & Palmer Orthodontics to anyone in need of braces.
Amber P.
Very friendly and welcoming staff. My son was nervous, but they made him feel safe and excited about getting braces. I would highly recommend Holmes & Palmer Orthodontics to anyone in need of braces.
Kelley M.
This is my second child to receive orthodontic care with Dr. Holmes. This practice is efficiently run and the staff is always friendly. We’ve never waited more than 10 minutes to be seen. Highly recommend!!
Kelley M.
This is my second child to receive orthodontic care with Dr. Holmes. This practice is efficiently run and the staff is always friendly. We’ve never waited more than 10 minutes to be seen. Highly recommend!!
Genesa J.
I truly believe they have the patient's best interest in mind. My daughter's previous orthodontist pressured us to start services for her at a very young age. The honesty, care and treatment we have experienced from Holmes & Palmer Orthodontics has been phenomenal.
Genesa J.
I truly believe they have the patient's best interest in mind. My daughter's previous orthodontist pressured us to start services for her at a very young age. The honesty, care and treatment we have experienced from Holmes & Palmer Orthodontics has been phenomenal.
Stacy N.
My daughter always feels safe and listened to when getting treatment! Her teeth look amazing.
Stacy N.
My daughter always feels safe and listened to when getting treatment! Her teeth look amazing.
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