You’ve probably heard somewhere before, the term “overbite” or “underbite”. Well did you know there are actually 4 different types of misaligned bites!? Don’t leave yet ‘cause we are about to tell you what they are, so be sure to stick around!
When the upper and lower jaw meets.
When we look at your bite, we are looking at the way your upper jaw and lower jaw meet when the mouth is closed. Ideally, the upper jaw should fit just ever so slightly overlapping your lower jaw and your molars should fit in the grooves of the opposite molar like a jigsaw puzzle.
Healthy bites will have great function and balance pressure between the teeth, preventing grinding or wearing down of teeth. However, if the bit is misaligned, it can add pressure on certain teeth which can wear certain parts of your mouth down unevenly. In addition, a misaligned bite can also cause issues with chewing, swallowing, face symmetry etc.
Signs of a good bite…
Pain free – You shouldn’t be experiencing any pain in your bite, if you are experiencing some pain in your jawbone or within the muscles around your jaw, this can be an indicator of a misaligned bite.
Teeth – If your teeth are aligned with one another and symmetrical on the upper and lower jawbone line, this is often an honest sign that your bite is healthy.
Tongue – Your tongue is often an excellent indicator of a nasty bite. If your bite isn’t aligned, there’s a high chance your tongue could also be getting cut or nicked on the edges .
Different types of bad bites…
When it involves the kinds of bad bites, generally speaking there are four kinds:
overbite, underbite, crossbite and open bite.
Overbite – While there should be some overlap of your lower front teeth, in some cases an increased overbite can cause your front teeth to bite down onto your gums.
Crossbite – this is often where your upper teeth kinda sit inside your lower teeth, it can happen on one side or each side of the jaw.
Underbite – this is often where your mandible comes over your top teeth.
Open bite – An open bite is when the front teeth don’t overlap rock bottom teeth in the least , the rear molar don’t touch therefore the mouth isn’t during a resting position.
What constitutes a bad bite?
Did you know the term ‘maloclusion’ means ‘bad bite’ in Latin? Below we have included many signs that will indicate a bad bite and/or maloclusion:
Genetics – Some children can’t help it and need to get their bite corrected.
Thumb sucking – while most babies suck their thumbs, if this habit continues because the adult teeth emerge, there’ll be dental consequences.
Pacifiers – similar to thumb sucking, using a soother for too long can ruin your bite.
Symptoms & signs that you have a bad bite?
For some people it’d be obvious that you simply have a nasty bite, except for others the signs might not be as noticeable. Some of the telltale signs include:
TMJ Symptoms – Symptoms of TMJ include pain when you move your jaw, stiffness, soreness and clicking noises when you open and close your mouth.
Headache – When your bite is out of alignment, it’s very possible for the muscles that move your jaw to be very tense and strained. This built up tension can cause headaches that range from mild to severe.
Trouble Speaking – If you are having trouble pronouncing or enunciating certain words because of stiffness in your jaw, this is a good indicator of a misaligned bite.
Grinding your teeth – Teeth grinding is a serious issue that can have bad consequences for your smile, if you grind your teeth can lead to pain in your jaw and headaches as well.
How to fix a bad bite?
So aligning your jaw can only be through orthodontic intervention, generally speaking fixing a misaligned bite could also be a complex job so clear aligners like Invisalign aren’t really ideal. Braces are the simplest bet when it involves having enough pressure on the teeth to realign the jaw, this is often usually executed by the elastics.
But the simplest thanks to know if you’ve got a nasty bite is to consult an orthodontist. Orthodontists are the sole specialists which will align your teeth, jaw, mouth and face.
If you think that your bite could be off after reading this text, book your free
consultation to get your jaw assessed today!
