Overbite

An overbite is an orthodontic defect in the bite that manifests in a gap of more than five mm between the lower and upper anterior teeth at the time of biting, which can have two causes. The bases of the jaws are smooth. This is only if the teeth don’t tip over. In this case, treatment is orthodontic with the help of braces only, and often the two upper premolars need to be extracted to make room, and the upper teeth can pull. Thus, the specialist moves the teeth backward.

But the second reason is that the upper jaw and the teeth growing from it are in a normal position, but the lower jaw is small, underdeveloped, and slipped back. Apart from that, the growing teeth are also on the back, and a typical gap occurs in the bite, called an overbite. Here the causative treatment is only surgery, advancing the lower jaw. Overbite surgery is usually performed on both jaws when at least the lower jaw is relaxed from both sides and moved forward. You can also add jaw aesthetic surgery to achieve the best possible aesthetic result. After surgical treatment, orthodontic retreatment begins when the teeth tighten to maximum occlusion.

The dentist uses a side view of the skull to determine the diagnosis. Here it is possible not only to measure the size of the defect accurately but also to determine its cause. The advantage of the surgery is that it removes not only the bite defect but also the tremendous aesthetic obstacle caused by this defect.

If your bite bothers you while eating aesthetically, you should make changes. Therefore, the doctor can say that this problem has a solution. But this also depends on the age and overall development of the problem. The dentist will determine everything with precision. The advantage is that you get better and faster results if you start solving problems in childhood. Treatment may consist of both surgical intervention and placement of braces.

What is Overbite?

Overbite is a dental problem when your front teeth in your upper jaw cover your lower jaw teeth in a way that can completely cover them. Many people have a mild overbite problem in general. Thus, the mouth will not close so that the upper and lower teeth come into contact endlessly.

However, an excessive this problem can cause gum problems, tooth decay, or severe pain in the jaw. Habits such as excessive use of pacifiers and thumb-sucking in children cause this problem. This problem is a vital closing disorder.

What are the Causes of Overbite?

According to experts, in the last 400 years, when people started using forks and knives and not forcefully removing their teeth, there has been a significant change in the position of the teeth. It knows that something similar happened to the Chinese who started eating chopsticks centuries ago. For this reason, the cause of the overbite problem is actually a change in eating.

Other causes of this problem may be the size and shape of the jaw, along with the size and shape of the teeth. Both too much space and too little space contribute negatively to this. Also, using a pacifier or a long-term bottle that pushes the tongue against the back wall contributes to this negatively. It is associated with a bad habit in childhood for children to put various objects in their mouths and chew them. Later, an overbite can also cause tooth loss. Genetics and joint dysfunction certainly have an impact.

Anyone with a visible overbite worries about it and sees it as an aesthetic problem. However, if this orthodontic problem is common, it isn’t only an aesthetic problem but also a health problem. Unfortunately, when grinding food, it is often not completely processed, which causes discomfort associated with the digestive tract.

Returning to the appearance of an overbite and what causes it, we include heredity and improper habits among the main factors. Remember that most of these problems begin with the development of teeth. This means that people need to be especially careful with young children. But there are other culprits, such as heredity, jaw shape, and even tooth shape. Check out the overbite causes in general:

Genetic causes

There are cases where this problem is inherited. Generally, several members of the same family will have an overbite. They can be born with a minor lower jaw or a prominent upper jaw.

Dysfunctional habits

Some repetitive and dysfunctional habits formed by children can affect the development and growth of their bones and the placement of their teeth. The following practices can cause overbite problems:

• Thumb sucking: Thumb sucking is a dysfunctional habit that perpetuates non-nutritive sucking behavior. These repetitive movements and the pressure created by the finger can cause the palate to develop abnormally and the teeth to grow at the wrong angle.
• Pacifier use: This is another non-nutritive sucking behavior that can lead to an overbite. Using a pacifier for a long time after the child turns two can cause changes.
• Pushing the teeth with the tongue: The tongue’s pressure on the teeth can push them away. While this habit often causes another misalignment called open biting, it can also lead to an overbite. Anatomical changes such as inflamed polyps, tonsillitis, difficulty swallowing, stress, and sleep problems can cause this habit.

Poorly positioned teeth

Missing teeth, too many teeth, some left in place, and too much space between teeth or dental fillings can cause teeth to be displaced. This can affect the correct position of the teeth, causing an overbite.

Tumors and cysts

A tumor or cyst in the bone can change the teeth’ position and correct their alignment. A lump or growth of hard or soft tissue in the upper part of the mouth can cause the front teeth to move forward and cause excessive biting.

Untreated, these problems cause teeth to position incorrectly. Irreversible damage to the teeth occurs. Thus, it can even lead to serious health problems. It may be associated with pain in the jaws and joint disorders. Tooth enamel damage can be related to gum disease, jaw pain, headaches, eating discomfort, problems opening or closing the mouth, sleep apnea, and speech problems. This problem also changes the structure of the face, which can lead to low self-esteem.

What are the Types of Overbite?

As we mentioned earlier, an overbite changes how the upper teeth interact with the lower teeth. However, there are different types:

• Horizontal overbite: A condition in which there is a larger-than-normal space between the edge of the upper incisors and the outer part of the lower incisors. When it comes to biting, the upper teeth extend more than three millimeters from the lower teeth, which is the average distance. That is, the upper teeth are farther from the lower teeth.
• Vertical overbite: This is also known as a deep bite. This is when the person bites, and the upper incisors cover more than 35% of the lower teeth. If the distance between the edges of the upper and lower teeth is more than three millimeters, it is an overbite.
• Combined overbite: This is a combination of the above two conditions. The upper incisors are too far from the lower ones and cover them too much.

What Problems Does Overbite Cause?

An overbite doesn’t only affect the person aesthetically. It can also affect other ways their mouths work and cause a variety of problems:

• Speech changes occur. When it comes to pronouncing phonemes involving the upper incisors and lips, excessive biting can cause difficulty.
• Respiratory problems are associated with poor tooth alignment.
• Problems arise with biting, chewing, and eating correctly.
• Other teeth are damaged. It is due to enamel erosion and an increased risk of caries, gingivitis, and fractured teeth.
• This problem also causes changes in facial appearance.
• The consequences of tooth overbite vary according to its severity and the patient’s age. It is a condition that tends to worsen with age.
• This issue is often associated with bruxism. Bruxism is a disease characterized by clenching and involuntary lateral movements of the jaw during daytime or nighttime sleep. It can cause joint pain, headaches, and chewing problems. Overbite of the teeth is a common ailment in adults. The doctor can treat it with orthodontic appliances.
• Joint pain is often the first sign of an overbite problem. Jaw joints can become swollen and painful. This can be not very pleasant when trying to chew or talk. Headache is also common, especially migraine in the first place. Overbite can also lead to difficulty chewing or swallowing, as it can be challenging to close the jaw altogether. This pain can be acute or chronic and affect the patient’s quality of life. Fortunately, there are several treatment options to relieve these pains.
• A slight defect in dental occlusion may have purely aesthetic repercussions. But often, excessive biting is accompanied by chewing and speech disorders. These can profoundly affect both self-esteem and health.
• In fact, defects in tooth alignment likely alter the process of swallowing food that poorly chews and digested and promote the development of digestive disorders and excessive weight gain with all the accompanying pathologies.
• In an overbite, the lower teeth may fuse with the palate and cause more or less painful injuries. This palate bite phenomenon can drastically change the quality of life of people suffering from it.
• Upper and lower teeth are also at risk of collision. This accelerates their deterioration, sometimes helps to settle serious periodontal diseases (cavities, abscesses, etc.), and can cause lesions in the jaw joint.
• Finally, significant over-bites can cause face deformation due to the lower jaw’s narrowness. This, in turn, can complicate affected people and harm their social lives.

How is Overbite Treatment Performed?

The purpose of these treatments is to correct the destructive relationship between the lower and upper teeth. Thus, the specialist aims to achieve a more aesthetic and functional closure to improve the patient’s quality of life. Under no circumstances should you move your teeth during treatment. Moving your teeth by applying force should be done in a gradual and controlled manner. Doing this at home involves a great deal of risk and can cause much more damage than you already have!

Specialists correct the overbite problem depending on when it does, whether the patient is a child, teenager, or adult, and the severity and cause of the problem. Your dentist will evaluate these aspects and recommend the best solution for each case. For overbite treatment, specialists may prefer surgical or non-surgical methods depending on your situation:

Non-Surgical Treatment of Overbite

Orthodontic treatment with different instruments is the first choice to solve the problem. The choice of method depends on the patient’s age, the source, and the degree of difficulty. The first alternatives for overbite treatment are as follows:

• Dental Braces

Dental braces are currently the most effective treatment method for the overbite problem. Installation for dental braces treatment takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. Professionally cleans, dries, and treats teeth with antiseptics. The doctor then applies a primer and an adhesive. The dentist fixes the braces, removes excess adhesive, and polymerizes them with intense light radiation.

The dentist works with forceps, squeezing the plastic parts of the metal and closing the locks. The patient must adapt to long-term treatment. It is better to treat braces as an ornament and find an aesthetic sense in wearing them. Then there will be no psychological discomfort.

The first signs of bite healing appear 3-4 months after the dental braces are placed. But you can not remove them; the teeth are still unstable in the new position and quickly return to the previous wrong one. Constant supervision of the specialist on the condition of the teeth is necessary. Don’t worry; the doctor will not unnecessarily overexpose braces to the teeth.

When wearing dental braces, you should pay special attention to the oral cavity. Use a special brush to brush your teeth. Cleanse thoroughly but gently after each meal. You will need to eliminate solid foods from the diet. You can grind hard foods in a blender. Eating less hot and cold foods and sweets is better, which causes increased bacterial growth in the mouth. Temperature changes cause the brackets to contract and expand. Germs can cause cavities, and braces must remove prematurely to treat them.

• Preventive Orthodontics

Children between the ages of 6 and 12 are prone to this type of teething. It directs and corrects their growth as the jaw bones continue to develop. This early treatment allows specialists to establish a correct relationship between both bones and avoid future more complex, traumatic, lengthy, and expensive procedures.

Specialists can use expansion appliances to treat overbite. This attaches to the molars and has a screw that gradually separates the two teeth.

• Lingual Braces (Invisible)

Lingual braces are an orthodontic structure that attaches to the teeth from the inside (by the tongue). This invention in the orthodontic market has truly made a breakthrough in understanding classical dental braces. The concept of a bulky and unattractive plate on the teeth has been pushed aside.

Lingual braces are small, plate-shaped structures that are attached to your teeth. Each of them has unique grooves into which the orthodontic arch inserts. It creates the necessary pressure on each tooth under the gradual correction of the bite. Lingual braces are fixed to the teeth from the lingual side, relieving the patient from psychological discomfort.

The most significant advantage of lingual braces is that they hide from prying eyes. This is incredibly convenient for representatives of public professions (especially for actors, salespeople, managers, and teachers), as they can continue their activities and fix their bites as secretly as possible. Another advantage of lingual braces is safety when doing contact sports. They don’t break easily and don’t damage the oral mucosa.

Thanks to the braces attached to the tongue edge, it is possible to protect the enamel on the front of the teeth. Because of long-term wear, white spots (demineralization areas) may occur under them, which disrupts the aesthetics.

• Invisalign Treatment

This is a sheath made of transparent composite plastic put on the teeth and doesn’t cause allergic reactions. You can distinguish Invisalign treatments by their high aesthetic performance; they are almost invisible on your teeth. You can compare Invisalign treatment with braces; this method similarly yields bite correction efficiency.

Orthodontic treatment with Invisalign aligns teeth with a set of removable clear plastic aligners. Individual braces replace every two weeks, and the teeth gradually move to your desired final position.

Invisalign is the only brace that fully conforms to the gum line, providing a better fit without friction. The teeth are moved gently in small steps and don’t hurt as much as other braces. It is a soft and thin plastic splint without brackets, metal attachments, and sharp wires rubbing against the mouth. For example, it is easy to remove the sling when you want to eat or brush your teeth.

How is Overbite Surgery Performed?

If the problem is severe and different methods are unsuitable, overbite surgery will be the only treatment option. Only adults can be exposed to it, as their bones have stopped growing. In these cases, the source of the overbite is a bone issue. Surgery is the only option to create a correct relationship between the upper and lower jaw.

For overbite treatment, a specialist moves your upper jawbone back and your lower jawbone forward, depending on your condition.

You may need a combination of braces before and after surgery to complete the treatment; in cases where the overbite causes by a lack of space in the mouth, the specialist may pull some teeth to move others.

Can Overbite Be Prevented?

Certain factors cause you to develop an overbite that you cannot avoid. In these cases, if there are already changes in the way other family members bite, the best way to prevent future problems is to have early consultation with a dentist.

It is also essential to control the actions and habits of children that contribute to the development or worsening of this problem. Preventing children from using pacifiers or bottles, sucking their fingers or thumbs, and pushing their teeth with their tongues can help avoid this problem.

Early and regular visits to a dentist are always the best solution to detect any problems. If you have a child, you can consult a dentist before the child turns one year old and still see the dentist when they turn six to resolve any changes early. It also helps you avoid more expensive and complex treatments in the future.

The most appropriate age for treating overbite is when the person hasn’t yet reached puberty. In this case, the facial growth continues, and it is straightforward to correct the abnormality. Since women enter puberty earlier and men enter puberty a little later, treatment applies before the age of 10 in women and before the age of 12 in men.

Remember that a specialist must examine the child to determine the exact and appropriate treatment duration based on the abnormality’s type and severity. It isn’t always possible to set a specific age for treatment, and various factors can change this situation. Chronological age isn’t always a criterion when choosing the right time to treat overbite, and a dentist takes other specific factors into account when starting treatment.

How Much Does Overbite Treatment Cost?

The overbite treatment cost depends on many factors. There cannot be a single answer here. Each case is individual, and the technologies used differ in price.

In addition, many factors such as location, doctor’s experience, materials, methods, and anesthesia cause overbite treatment prices to change.

Health insurance may cover overbite treatment in some cases. Some health insurance companies determine that this treatment is medically essential, especially when the problem of overbite is causing sleep apnea, major speech problems, and breathing difficulties.

In Which Countries is the Cheapest Overbite Treatment Performed?

Overbite treatment abroad can take various forms, depending on the severity of the condition and the patient’s preferences. Options may include orthodontic treatment (such as braces or aligners), jaw surgery, or a combination. The cost of overbite treatment can vary considerably depending on several factors, including location, type of treatment, and complexity of the case.

Treatment generally tends to be cheaper in countries with low labor and material costs. Many countries are known to offer affordable overbite treatment. It is important to note that the cost of treatment should not be the only factor considered when choosing a supplier. It is also essential to evaluate the quality of care and the provider’s reputation. Here are the overbite treatment costs (surgical and non-surgical) by country:

Attention: For Information Purposes Only

Please note that the content of this website is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should always consult a qualified dentist for personal guidance.

References

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25377818/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16922103/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1951193/

https://www.researchgate.net/235006320