What is Overbite?

Overbiting or teething occurs when your upper front teeth protrude beyond your lower front teeth. Many people have a mild overbite. A more severe overbite can lead to tooth decay, gum disease, or jaw pain. You can prevent children from developing excessive biting by limiting thumb sucking and pacifier use.

An overbite, also called a sprocket, is a misalignment of the teeth. It occurs when your upper front teeth protrude (protrude) beyond your lower front teeth. Overbite is a type of malocclusion, or "bad closure". Some children's jaws and teeth do not develop properly. This results in a misaligned, poorly aligned relationship with the teeth in the opposite jaw.

How Does Overbite Affect the Body?

A mild overbite may not cause any visible health problems. However, untreated overbite can lead to:

• difficulties in breathing
• Difficulty or pain while chewing
• gum diseases
• Jaw pain or temporomandibular disorders (TMD)
• Tooth decay or cavities
• speech problems

What Causes Overbite?

In some cases, overbiting is hereditary (runs down the family). Genetic characteristics such as your jaw shape can affect the alignment of your teeth.

Other reasons are:

• Excessive nail biting
• Teeth grinding (bruxism)
• Thumb-sucking or non-nutritive sucking behavior after age 3 (NNSB)
• Tongue thrust, when the tongue is pressed too far into the mouth
• Using a pacifier, especially after the age of 3

What Are the Symptoms of Overbiting?

The primary symptom of overbiting has to do with your appearance; your upper front teeth overlap your lower front teeth. Excessive bites also;

• Difficulty opening or closing the mouth completely
• discomfort while eating
• jaw pain
• It can cause speech difficulties.

How Is Overbite Diagnosed?

Your dentist will notice excessive biting during the physical exam. The dentist may take a dental X-ray to further examine the overbite and how your teeth are aligned and, if necessary, refer you to an orthodontist. An orthodontist is a dentist who specializes in the alignment of teeth and jaws.

How is Overbite Treated?

Overbite treatment is different for children and adults. If the overbite problem is diagnosed in childhood, the following applications can be made for treatment;

• Growth modification devices or palate expanders may be used to reposition the jaw during growth and development.
• Brackets may be preferred to gently align all teeth.
• Deciduous or permanent teeth may be extracted to make room for adult teeth.
• After braces, apparatus can be used to keep the teeth aligned.

Treatment methods in adults are as follows;

• Surgery may be performed to correct the jaw alignment.
• Braces can be preferred to align the teeth, and tooth extraction can be done to make room for the teeth.