Open Bite

Open Bite Treatment London

Occlusion occurs when the teeth align and meet together. Ideally, the teeth are known to match up perfectly with the upper teeth resting a bit above the lower teeth when your jaw is closed, and the top surface of the molars are lined up. But then, there are cases where the teeth barely match up the way they should, leading to a dental condition known as malocclusion.

An open bite is just another example of malocclusion. Here, some of the teeth barely meet when biting down. This occurs mostly during the transition from milk teeth to permanent teeth. This dental condition is often known to correct itself and doesn’t persist into adulthood. However, when a child gets older and still has an open bite, then treatment is required to avoid further complications.

Just in case you have just been told that you have an open bite, and you are probably perplexed about what this dental condition is, as well as what to expect during the treatment process, we have made this informative guide to meet your need. In this article, we will be walking you through the following:

 

  • The meaning of open bite.
  • The symptoms of this dental condition.
  • The complications of an open bite.
  • The treatment options, as well as what to expect during each treatment.

What Is An Open Bite?

An open bite occurs when some part of the top and bottom teeth don’t meet when your teeth are closed. When you have an open bite, the teeth barely comes together as it is expected and there is a gap between the top and bottom jaws. Sometimes, the open bite may occur with other types of bite problem like overbite, underbite and crossbite.

Anterior And Posterior Open Bite

The anterior open bite occurs when the front teeth do not connect properly after the back teeth have made contact. The opposite of an anterior bite is a posterior bite, and it occurs when the back teeth do not connect properly when the front teeth are closed. This type of open bite is not so common when compared to anterior open bite, and it occurs more specifically during treatment with braces. Your dentist or orthodontist will take necessary actions to correct it when the issue arises.

What Are The Symptoms Of Open Bites?

The symptoms of an open bite are usually easy to spot with just a prolonged glance over the teeth. If you notice a gap between the top and bottom teeth, either at the front, back or both sides, then that is a simple sign of an open bite.

Causes of Open bite

Generally, an open bite can be caused by four main factors:

  1. Skeletal problem: this occurs mainly when your jaws grow apart rather than growing parallel to each other. The affected patient’s parent usually influences skeletal problem or disorder.
  2. Tongue thrusting: this is often regarded as one of the most common causes of an open bite, specifically among children. An open bite occurs when a person speaks or swallows while pushing their tongue between upper and lower front teeth — during this process, the front teeth are forced gradually outwards, which may lead to an open bite or excess gaps between the teeth.
  3. Open bites problem in children: children are not also exempted from this dental condition. There are cases where a child starts losing their milk teeth, while the adult teeth begin to erupt; it becomes normal for the teeth to experience an open bite. Your dentist in Harley Street London can easily proffer the necessary solution to this effect.

Other causes of the open bite may also occur if a child sucks on their thumb regularly or on other foreign objects; it can strain the alignment of the teeth, which may result to open bite.

  1. Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD): the temporomandibular joint is the hinge that allows the mouth to open and close freely. TMD can result in chronic jaw pain, and because of the level of discomfort experienced, affected patients are forced to use their tongue to push their teeth apart so that their jaws are comfortably repositioned. This random act is often known to cause an open bite. During treatment, your doctor may recommend possible treatment options that can efficiently address this joint disorder, along with the necessary treatment for fixing an open bite. Fixing this joint disorder is quite essential, as it ensures that necessary actions are taken to avoid the problem from reoccurring in the future.

Available Treatment Options For Open Bite

Open bite treatments are common and are easily understood by both dentists and orthodontists. Nevertheless, fixing and resolving the problem is always easier when noticed at an early age.

Although the treatment options are sometimes straightforward, your dentist is in the right position to tell you the treatment option that could be more suitable for your condition. Regardless, here is an overview of some commonly used treatment options for open bite condition

Braces For Open Bite

Using braces are one of the most common treatments for open bites and other dental misalignments. They help to pull the teeth back if they are protruding forward. They are also very effective in aligning misaligned teeth.

Ideally, the treatment can last from six months to two years, depending on how severe the condition is. Braces wearers are also expected to wear a set of retainer after treatment has been completed. The retainers aim to ensure that the teeth remain in the new position.

Braces treatment for an open bite is often complex and may require some amount of work. Either way, not all cases are treated with the use of braces.

Treatment method for tongue thrusting

If the cause of your open bite is tongue thrusting, the best approach for resolving the issue is to figure out the root cause of the problem, after which your dentist may proffer suitable solutions for your dental issues.

The following are the most common treatment for tongue thrusting:

  • A tongue cradle
  • Exercises and the therapy

A tongue cradle: a tongue cradle works slightly the same way as a retainer. They are usually attached to your molars. This will help put a barrier across your mouth so that the tongue can barely push the teeth forward.

Exercises and therapy: although stopping the habit of tongue thrusting is not a sure solution for an open bite, this procedure has proven effective in making sure that the bite problem doesn’t get worse or relapse after treatment have been completed. The treatment procedure involves using various exercises and therapy which are offered through a speech therapist to ensure that the habit is stopped, to ensure other possible risks and complications are avoided.

Open bite correction with Invisalign

A lot of people are often perplexed about the role of Invisalign clear aligners on open bite correction. However, Invisalign is one of the most common and in fact, a preferred way of treating malocclusion and some other dental conditions.

Invisalign are clear plastic braces that can be changed every two weeks or more while moving the teeth slowly into their ideal condition. They are quite effective in treating more than 80% of all orthodontic cases, including open bite.

Openbite correction with veneers

Veneers are thin tooth covering, which are commonly made from composite and ceramic materials

Veneers have proven to be effective in the past, in the correction of mild or minor open bite condition. In other words, if your open bite is minor or less severe, it may be possible to fix it with the use of veneers. During the treatment process, a small amount of enamel is scraped off the tooth before the veneers are fitted.

Although the method has proven effective for mild open bite condition, it can also lead to some complications and other dental condition if care is not taken. Some of them may include:

  • To close the teeth appropriately, the veneers will need to be longer than your natural teeth, which may result in a lot of discomforts.
  • Further misalignment of the teeth may pop up since the teeth are placed under constant pressure.
  • Any future jaw surgeries or future braces may become hard because braces cannot stick well to the veneers.
  • It is not effective in treating tongue thrusting.
  • Your teeth may appear bigger than expected

Since there is a lot to consider regarding the long term feature of your oral health, it is more appropriate to seek advice from any of our Harley Street Dentist regarding fixing your openbite with the use of veneers.

Open bite surgery

Depending on how severe your open bite is, surgery may be needed to correct it. Generally, adults are more likely to use surgery for open bite treatment since the bones have fused and are more difficult to move. Using surgery for open bite correction are often complex, and may last for several months before treatment is finally concluded.

Usually, patients are expected to wear braces for one year before the jaw surgery is carried out, and for another six months to a year after the surgery. Before the surgical procedure, your doctor may use computer modelling to map every adjustment that is expected to be made during the surgery. The surgical process may involve having your bones broken, while plates and screws are inserted into your jaw. The process may appear a little scary, but then nothing beats having your teeth properly structured and being able to feed well.

More so, there are usually no scars because all the surgery and dental work are carried inside the mouth. However, you are expected to stay on a liquid diet after the surgeries have been carried out.

Just like it is with every other surgery, there is an element of risk attached. However, jaw surgeries are a little common and of course, quite effective in treating an open bite.

Quick overview

Here is a quick overview of the various open bite treatment options available using different age groups as a benchmark.

  • 0 – 4 age group: tongue thrusting and open bite are usually normal during this age group, and therefore no need for interventions. To avoid further complications, restrict thumb sucking in children.
  • 7 – 10 age groups: crib can be worn if tongue thrusting persists during this period. You may need to ask for your dentist’s recommendation to identify if adult teeth are coming through, while possible solutions can be provided.
  • 11 – 17 age groups: braces can be fitted into the teeth to correct open bite. Speech therapy for tongue thrusting can also be useful during this age group.
  • 18 and above: jaw surgery may be employed during this period to correct open bite since there is no other jaw growth at this period. The use of braces and Invisalign, and sometimes veneers may also be effective in this age group.

Conclusions

Here is a summary of the open bite. However, if you have an open bite, don’t forget to speak to us at The Harley Street Dentist regarding suitable treatment options for your dental condition.

Call 020 71830903 for more information or to book an appointment.

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