Abnormal Bites And Associated Problems

One of the most common oral health issues that people face today is that of an abnormal bite. Also known as an ‘occlusion’,

an abnormal bite refers to the way that the teeth in your upper jaw fit together with the teeth in your lower jaw, which may result in teeth misalignment. The molars at the top of your mouth should neatly overlay the ridges and valleys of your bottom molars.

If you have this condition, often it’s not because of anything you’ve done (or failed to do!) when it comes to your dental hygiene. Often, an abnormal is hereditary, passed down through generations.

However, there are a number of other reasons that one may suffer from an abnormal bite problems:

• A birth defect that alters the shape of the jaw (cleft lip and palate) or hereditary skeletal mal-alignments.
• A difference in the size of the upper and lower jaws, or tooth size this results in overcrowding and an eventual abnormal bite
• Extra, lost, impacted or irregular shaped teeth
• Improper fitting braces, retainers, crowns or dental fillings
• Habits that may have been instilled during childhood, such as thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, or persistent use of a bottle or dummy
• Severe injury that may have caused a jaw dislocation or fracture

Treatments for an Abnormal Bite:

There are a number of different classes that abnormal bite issues can fall under. We at Creative Smiles, establish the severity of your condition under one of these three classes:

• Class 1: This is the most common and occurs when the bite is normal, but the lower teeth are slightly overlapped by the top teeth.
• Class 2: When the teeth in the upper jaw overlap the bottom jaw and teeth. This is more commonly known as an overbite.
• Class 3: This class is most often referred to as an underbite. As the name suggests, it occurs when the lower jaw protrudes, which results in the upper jaw and teeth being overlapped by the lower.