Several dental concerns require orthodontic treatment and the end goal isn’t always a beautiful and confident smile.

Aligning your teeth is important to oral health, which can help prevent several common dental issues. These include cavities, gum disease, and even temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.

Without further ado, here are four common dental concerns that require the attention of an orthodontist:

Underbite

An underbite is a form of malocclusion, which means the lower teeth overlap the upper. In some cases, the two teeth rows do not meet leaving only a small gap.

However, there are cases where the gap between the two rows of teeth is so wide. Hence, the patient seems to be wearing an expression every time even when not intended.

To avoid social confusion, people dealing with underbite or “bad bite’ are eager to fix their bite, despite it being a natural misalignment of the lower jaw.

Aside from the social awkwardness, underbite can cause other problems depending on the gap between the two rows of teeth. These include eating difficulties, speech problems, chronic mouth breathing, halitosis, sleep apnea, snoring, etc.

Crossbite

Unlike underbite, crossbite happens when the lower teeth close inside the upper teeth. This dental issue is usually genetic. However, there are other reasons such as excessive thumb-sucking or use of pacifiers, late loss of baby teeth, and large adenoids.  

Overbite

Overbite or “deep Bite” is another common dental issue that requires orthodontic treatment. It’s characterized by protruding upper teeth completely covering the lower teeth. Like crossbites, deep Bites can be genetic. However, the underlying culprit can be a malformed jaw.

This dental condition can develop due to the poor development of the lower jaw or overdevelopment of the upper jaw which is usually aided by certain children's habits such as prolonged tongue-thrusting or bottle-feeding and thumb-sucking. Also, when kids chew on foreign objects they are most susceptible to this dental condition.

Overjet

It’s easy to mistake this condition for overbite. The latter is a vertical dental issue, while overjet refers to horizontal issues.

Similarly, overjet can be hereditary. However, this condition is developed due to prolonged habits during childhood. Many habits such as prolonged bottle-feeding, tongue-thrusting, and thumb-sucking exert pressure on the upper jaw and teeth causing them to protrude or splay outwards.

It’s crucial to identify and address these pressure-exerting habits early on, along with orthodontic treatment if necessary, to help prevent or correct overjet.