Bad Bite

Occlusion is a term dentists use to describe how teeth come together. When a patient has proper occlusion, it means that their teeth touch as intended, much like gears coming together in an engine. In some cases, a patient’s rear molars line up properly, but their front teeth are out of place, whether from spacing problems, crowding, rotation, or from overly protruding forward. Bite misalignment, or malocclusion, can result in a number of consequences as the teeth come into contact in unintended ways. These can include jaw and muscle pain, excessive or uneven tooth wear, cracking, and potential loss of the affected teeth.

There are several options available to treat bite misalignment issues. Treatment will vary based on the underlying cause and the severity of misalignment, making it critical to work closely with your doctor to develop a plan that best meets your unique needs.

Occlusion is a term dentists use to describe how teeth come together. When a patient has proper occlusion, it means that their teeth touch as intended, much like gears coming together in an engine. In some cases, a patient’s upper molars line up forward over their lower molars, causing the upper teeth to protrude forward, in what is commonly called an overbite. Depending on the patient, the upper front teeth will usually be either tilted outward towards the lip, or inward toward the lower teeth. Bite misalignment, or malocclusion, can result in a number of consequences as the teeth come into contact in unintended ways. These can include jaw and muscle pain, difficulty eating and speaking, excessive or uneven tooth wear, and cracking and potential loss of the affected teeth.

There are several options available to treat bite misalignment issues. Treatment will vary based on the underlying cause and the severity of misalignment, making it critical to work closely with your doctor to develop a plan that best meets your unique needs.

Occlusion is a term dentists use to describe how teeth come together. When a patient has proper occlusion, it means that their teeth touch as intended, much like gears coming together in an engine. In some cases, a patient’s upper molars line up behind their lower molars, causing what is commonly called an underbite. This causes the lower jaw to protrude outward, with the lower front teeth sitting out in front of the uppers. Bite misalignment, or malocclusion, can result in a number of consequences as the teeth come into contact in unintended ways. These can include jaw and muscle pain, difficulty eating and speaking, excessive or uneven tooth wear, and cracking and potential loss of the affected teeth.

There are several options available to treat bite misalignment issues. Treatment will vary based on the underlying cause and the severity of misalignment, making it critical to work closely with your doctor to develop a plan that best meets your unique needs.

When correcting misaligned teeth or bite issues, your doctor may recommend orthodontic treatment, commonly known as braces. This treatment creates a more attractive smile and can alleviate certain issues resulting from a misaligned bite. Orthodontics can be used as a stand-alone procedure or as part of a comprehensive plan, placing teeth in an optimal position prior to additional restorative procedures.

Orthodontic treatment involves strategically attaching metal or ceramic brackets to the misaligned teeth, connecting them with a special wire that is incrementally adjusted to place the teeth and jaw in correct alignment. The procedure begins with your doctor polishing your teeth and applying a conditioning liquid that allows the brackets to firmly bond to them. Once prepared, your teeth are dried. An adhesive primer is applied to your teeth, and the brackets are placed. Your doctor will adjust their position and may use a curing light to harden the cement.

The brackets are joined by a wire, which is secured with elastic bands. You will typically feel some tightness and soreness once placement is complete; this is normal and goes away after a couple of days. During regular follow-up appointments, your braces will be adjusted to gradually move your teeth into the desired position. The amount of time for treatment varies with each patient, depending on the extent of tooth movement needed to attain proper alignment.

Once treatment is completed, your teeth will be in optimal alignment, and your smile’s appearance greatly improved.

When someone desires straighter teeth and a more aligned bite to improve their smile, clear aligners can be an excellent treatment option to achieve their goals. This treatment can achieve proper alignment while also being minimally visible compared to other orthodontic solutions.

For orthodontic alignment that requires less complicated tooth movements, your doctor can recommend treatment via a series of custom-fitted, clear plastic alignment trays that are worn over the teeth. To accomplish this, your doctor takes an impression- or mold- of your teeth and sends it to a lab for fabrication. The dental laboratory then generates a set of progressive trays that slowly move your teeth into the correct position over time. A new tray is swapped in at regular intervals until the desired alignment is reached.

Once treatment is completed, your teeth will be in better alignment, and your smile improved. However, it is important to note that some alignment issues cannot be corrected with this technology as more tooth movement may be needed than it can achieve.

You should consult your dentist or orthodontist to ensure this treatment is appropriate for your situation.

A palatal expander is an orthodontic device commonly used in children to gradually expand the width of the upper jaw to correct a narrow palate. If your child has a narrow palate, it can lead to several complex issues if not addressed, including speech problems, airway obstruction, and crowding of teeth. Widening the upper jaw will create room for your child’s permanent adult teeth, correct bite misalignment, and open the airway for better breathing and sleep quality.

The expander is typically mounted to the upper molars. Your doctor will custom-fit the appliance to conform to the shape of your child’s teeth and mouth. It works by gently applying pressure to the upper jaw bone and the inside edges of the back teeth, gradually widening the area, placing the teeth in a more desirable position to work with the lower jaw and teeth.

The device has a screw that can be adjusted at home to facilitate more consistent pressure during the expansion process. Your doctor will provide a special key that a parent inserts into the expander to periodically adjust the width, gradually widening the palate over a period of weeks or months.

To activate the expander, put the key in the hole until it is firmly in place, push the key toward the back of the mouth, rotating the screw until the key meets the back of the device and the next hole is visible. It is important to remove the key without turning the screw backward.

Once the expander is in place, your child may feel uncomfortable, notice excess saliva, and have changes in speech for the first few days. However, these symptoms will subside over time as your child adjusts to their new appliance.

Once treatment with the palatal expander is complete, the device is removed from the mouth. At that time, your doctor can continue using traditional braces to adjust individual teeth, align the bite, and improve the function and appearance of your child’s mouth. A palatal expander is an important part of a preventative plan to make room for adult teeth, to properly align teeth, and to stave off future airway complications like obstructive sleep apnea, mouth breathing, and other breathing-related issues.

A lingual frenum is the band of tissue that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth. In some children, the lingual frenum is too short, restricting tongue movement and impairing the child’s oral and airway development. Your doctor may recommend a frenectomy to remove or clip the connective tissue.

Sometimes, a child’s lingual frenum may be too tight or too short, restricting the movement of the tongue. This can lead to ankyloglossia, also known as tongue-tie. It can also impair a child’s jaw growth and airway development, leading to open-mouth breathing, speech impediment, swallowing problems, and bite misalignment. In babies, it can cause nursing problems.

A frenectomy is a simple procedure that can be performed surgically or with a laser. For a surgical frenectomy, a local anesthetic is applied to the site first. Next, your doctor removes or clips the lingual frenum and uses dissolvable sutures. The site is usually healed within a couple of weeks.

A laser can also be used to remove or sever the lingual frenum. Using a laser can be beneficial as it eliminates the need for stitches and allows for minimal bleeding, as well as a faster healing time. Once the area is healed, your child will have improved oral health, proper tongue function, and appropriate airway development.

Veneers are restorations that cover the front surface of a tooth. While they can improve function, most of the time, veneers are used to improve the appearance of a patient’s smile, whether a tooth is misshapen, chipped, discolored, or rotated. Veneers can be made of ceramic or composite material and typically require multiple appointments to complete.

At your first visit, your doctor will take an impression of your teeth, which will be sent to a dental laboratory to expertly sculpt an idealized model of your mouth. This model will be the basis for your temporary and final veneers.

During your next visit, your teeth are prepared by the doctor to make room to place the veneers over them. Once done, another impression is taken of the prepared teeth, which will be sent to the dental laboratory and combined with the idealized model to craft your final veneers. After this second impression is taken, temporary veneers are placed over your teeth until the final ones are ready.

At a subsequent visit, your doctor will remove the temporary veneers and bond the final versions into place. Now, your teeth are restored to optimal shape and function, and your smile will be greatly improved.

When the upper and lower teeth don't meet comfortably, the cause may be a misaligned jaw. Jaw misalignment can result in several consequences as the teeth come into contact in unintended ways. These can include jaw and muscle pain, difficulty eating, swallowing, and speaking, excessive or uneven tooth wear, chronic mouth breathing, or sleep apnea.

Orthognathic surgery is a corrective jaw surgery that straightens or realigns the jaw to correct skeletal deformities or dental irregularities. It may be performed on the upper jaw, lower jaw, chin, or any combination of these.

Children who have certain conditions or orthodontic problems eventually requiring jaw surgery are eligible for the surgery only after they stop growing. But early detection and treatment of a child’s orthodontic problems can often prevent the need for surgery altogether. Because orthognathic surgery most often requires orthodontic braces before and after surgery, the entire treatment may take years to complete. It also requires a collaborative approach between the orthodontist and the oral surgeon to successfully devise and execute a treatment plan.

The surgery itself usually takes one to four hours and requires general anesthesia in a hospital setting. Surgery is usually performed inside the mouth, so no facial scars show on the chin, jaw, or around the mouth. However, sometimes, small incisions may be required outside the mouth.

During the surgery, the jaw bones are moved into the correct position and bone plates, screws, and wires are used to secure the bones into their new position. Over time, the screws become integrated into the bone structure.

Correcting alignment of the jaws and teeth with jaw surgery can result in improved function of teeth, health benefits from improved sleep, breathing, chewing, and swallowing, improvement in speech impairments, balanced appearance of the lower face, improved confidence and self-esteem. It is critical to work closely with your doctor to develop a plan for a corrective jaw surgery that straightens or realigns the jaw to correct skeletal deformities that best meets your unique needs.