In orthodontics, your bite is defined as how your top and bottom rows of teeth align or come together when you close your mouth. The functionality of your bite is crucial to your physical and mental health, but before we get into that, we’re going to first discuss some examples of a bad bite.
- Excessive overjet is when the upper teeth stick out farther than your lower teeth.
- An underbite is when the lower front teeth in your lower jaw stick past the teeth in your upper jaw.
- An open bite is when the top and bottom teeth do not connect when you bite down.
- A deep bite is when the top front teeth vertically overlap excessively the lower front teeth.
- A crossbite is when some or all teeth in your upper jaw fit inside the lower teeth.
- Overcrowding is when there is not enough space for your teeth, so they become pushed together.
- A misplaced midline bite is when the center of your upper front teeth doesn’t match the center of your lower teeth.
While all of those might sound scary or challenging to fix, Dudley Orthodontics has comfortable, pleasant treatment options to get your bite where it needs to be.
How can Dudley Smiles help?
Though facial surgery can and sometimes should treat a bad bite, that’s not the only way. Dudley Smiles offers a few non-invasive, minimally uncomfortable treatment options.
Metal Braces
Metal braces are a famous orthodontic appliance, but not because it has starred in great movies like Finding Nemo and Toy Story or shows like Fairy Oddparents and The Wild Thornberry, though that attention no doubt helped. They are popular for their ability to withstand almost anything to correct even the most complex adjustment needs.
Using metal wires and brackets and colorful ligatures (the bands that hold the wire to the bracket), the durability of metal braces makes them the best choice for orthodontic accessories like TADs, elastic bands, Herbst appliances, and more.
Though you would need to adjust your diet and oral hygiene routine accordingly, the changes will quickly become second nature and hardly pose any problems in your day-to-day life.
Clear Aligners
On the other end of the spectrum, we have clear aligners. Unlike braces, clear aligners are custom-made, allowing a snug, comfortable fit and almost invisible appearance. Because you need to remove them to eat, drink, and perform oral hygiene, you can keep your regular diet and oral hygiene regimen — meaning you will experience minimal disruption to your lifestyle.
Dudley Smiles is proud to offer this treatment through Spark or Invisalign clear aligners.. Their technology can help you complete treatment in as little as six months! Clear aligners also offer some accessories to help improve your bite, but their selection is limited compared to braces.
We generally recommend clear aligners for children, teens, and adults with milder issues who can handle the responsibility of a removable orthodontic appliance.
Clear Braces
In the middle of the spectrum, we have clear braces, which combine the benefits of both metal braces and clear aligners.
Clear braces work identically to metal braces by using brackets, wires, and ligatures to straighten the teeth and jaw. The difference is that clear braces use brackets made of a polycrystalline mix of materials to create a tooth-colored look that blends in with your teeth. Many patients pair them with matching ligatures to create the illusion of clear braces, though you could also use colorful bands for a pop of color.
This treatment option gives you a subtle look without having to remember to wear your orthodontic appliance every day. It is also great for those who have bite needs too complex for Invisalign but don’t like the appearance of metal braces.
Though strong, the polycrystalline mix is not as strong as metal. For this reason, we recommend clear braces to adults and older teenagers with mild to medium bite needs who can take care of this bonded appliance.
What’s so bad about a bad bite?
It is essential to improve a bad bite because it can drastically affect your quality of life. If your teeth and jaw cannot line up correctly, you will likely have challenges with chewing and swallowing, breathing, performing oral hygiene, and abnormal wear and tear on the jaw joint and teeth. A poor alignment can also have an unwanted influence on facial structure development in children.
These issues leave you at risk of choking, vitamin deficiency, poor sleep, TMJ (jaw) pain, migraines, neck pain, trouble communicating, weakened enamel, and dry mouth. All can cause mental, physical, and oral health problems that negatively impact your life.
For the best results, visit Dudley Smiles!
To determine if you qualify for orthodontic treatment, schedule your free consultation with Dudley Smiles today! If you have questions before beginning your orthodontic journey, contact our office to speak to a kind and helpful team member!
Dudley Smiles is honored to be able to continuously serve our community by improving quality of life through smiles. We can’t wait to provide you with the exceptional care and stunning results we’re known for, so we hope to see you soon!