Irregularities with your mouth and teeth, as well as certain abnormalities
or irregularities with your facial features, are typically treated by
specialists in orthodontics.
The most common problems treated by
orthodontists are related to overbites and underbites. A bad bite is an
improper relationship between your upper and lower teeth; crooked or crowded
teeth are often the culprit. This is also called a “malocclusion.” A
malocclusion, which can happen over time or is inherited, can be treated with
such dental appliances as braces, which are designed to restore your oral
features (jaws, teeth and lips) into their proper balance. Moreover, bite
problems can have an impact on your overall appearance.
Acquired
malocclusions can occur as a result of a variety of things, including disease,
thumb-sucking as a child, premature loss of teeth, an injury, or obstructive
tissues such as your tonsils. Such problems can be minor in nature; many of
us, for example, may have one or two teeth that are not perfectly straight or
are even crooked. In other cases, bite problems can lead to premature loss of
teeth, destruction of bone structures, speech and eating problems, difficulty
in caring for teeth and premature tooth decay, as well as emotional
distress.
If you are unsure whether you need to see an
orthodontist, consider the following symptoms as a possible cue to do so:
- Frequent biting of your cheek, or cutting the roof of your mouth with a tooth
- New erupting teeth that do not come in straight
- Problems speaking or problems eating, such as chewing food properly
- Teeth do not make contact on one side of your mouth