What Is The Best Dental Treatment for An Open Bite?
Most people have some sort of imperfection in their bite. We call these malocclusions. It is much more common to have a malocclusion than a perfect bite. Most of the time an imperfect bite does not affect your everyday life and, therefore, doesn’t require treatment. But sometimes an imperfect bite can get in the way of everyday functions, such as eating or smiling and requires dental attention and care.
What kind of bite do you have? Do you know? Let’s find out. Close your top and bottom teeth together. Do your front upper teeth fall in front of, or over your front bottom teeth? That’s an overbite. Do your front upper teeth fall behind your front bottom teeth? That’s an underbite. Or perhaps when you bite down, there’s a space between your upper and bottom teeth. That’s an open bite.
Typically, open bites occur in the anterior, or front, of the mouth. But there are some rare cases where the back molars don’t touch, causing a posterior open bite. An open bite is one type of malocclusion that usually requires treatment because it can inhibit eating and make the jaw or teeth feel uncomfortable in the mouth. But before we talk about treatment options, let’s talk about what causes an open bite in the first place.
Causes of an Open Bite
Open bites are typically formed during childhood, either due to thumb-sucking or pacifier use. When the child’s adult teeth grow in, an open bite is usually no longer a problem. However, adults can still have an open bite, and many do.
Below are some of the causes of an open bite.
Tongue Thrust
Some people are prone to thrust their tongues forward when swallowing. This constant pressure on the front teeth can cause them to move outward, resulting in an open bite.
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ)
TMJ is a disorder in the jaw that causes chronic jaw pain. Some people who suffer from TMJ might find temporary relief from their pain by pushing on their teeth, which can lead to an open bite.
Skeletal Problems
The jaws can grow apart rather than parallel to each other, causing an open bite. This skeletal dysfunction is often genetic.
Treatments for an Open Bite
An open bite can make it difficult to eat certain foods, like apples, and can also make your smile less aesthetically appealing. But open bites are certainly treatable. Treatments for an open bite include:
Behavioral Change
As we mentioned above, children with an open bite often don’t have this type of bite once their adult teeth grow in, but for early prevention, you can work on weaning your child from his pacifier or his thumb-sucking habit.
Orthodontia
For adults or adolescents with an open bite, orthodontic care is the most common treatment. Orthodontia uses braces to move the front top and bottom teeth into proper alignment. The average amount of time most patients spend wearing braces is 16 to 18 months, but that varies depending on the severity of the bite, the age of the patient, and other factors. If you don’t like the idea of being in braces for this long, or at all, clear aligner therapy, such as ClearCorrect, can also be effective at correcting an open bite.
Orthognathic Surgery
Orthodontia is a good option if your open bite is only related to the alignment of your teeth. But if you have an open bite due to ill positioning of your jaw, you may need orthognathic surgery, also known as corrective jaw surgery, before orthodontics can be effective. An oral and maxillofacial surgeon performs this surgery by moving either one or both jaws into alignment. Once the jaw is corrected, an orthodontist can correct the teeth so that teeth and jaw are aligned, and a proper bite is restored.
If you are concerned about an open bite, talk to your dentist about your options. Fortunately, you don’t have to live with an open bite and most corrective procedures are common and relatively simple.
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