Malocclusion may sound like a fancy medical term, but it's actually Latin for "bad bite" and is used to describe teeth that do not fit together properly. So, it's the kind of thing orthodontists help their patients with every day.
A bad bite might sound like something that only affects your appearance, but it can actually have an impact on a patient's quality of life in many different ways.
Malocclusions are many times inherited. The size of teeth and jaw is the biggest determinant for how well teeth fit together, but often teeth have too much or too little room in the jaw. However, malocclusions can also be acquired by thumb-sucking, tongue thrusting, dental decay, premature loss of primary or permanent teeth, accidents or some medical problems.
Types of Malocclusions:
Class I Malocclusion: Teeth are crowded together or spaced apart - or they create an overbite or a crossbite. Class II Malocclusion: The upper front teeth protrude or the lower teeth and jaw are too far back relative to the upper teeth. Class III Malocclusion: The lower front teeth protrude or the lower teeth and jaw are too far ahead relative to the upper teeth.
Malocclusions are not just an aesthetic issue. Crooked and crowded teeth are hard to clean properly, potentially leading to tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth loss. A bad bite can also cause abnormal wear of tooth surfaces, difficulty with chewing, and excessive stress on the jaw bone and gum tissue. Poor tooth alignment can also affect a person's speech.
Treating Malocclusions
Few people have perfectly aligned teeth, but not every problem needs to be fixed. Children usually do not grow out of a malocclusion problem. Occasionally, it may be necessary to extract teeth to correct a malocclusion. More severe malocclusions in adults may need to be fixed with orthognathic surgery to change the shape of the jaw. But most bite problems can be corrected with fixed braces or removable appliances.
"Between the use of removable appliances, metal braces, clear braces, corrective jaw surgery, and Invisalign invisible braces, we have treated all types of malocclusions. We have treated everything from mild cases to very bad bite problems. Adults and teens who have all of their adult molars respond well to Invisalign depending on their situation. Children usually need traditional braces.
Invisalign is a clear system of straightening teeth without wires or brackets. Many patients prefer Invisalign invisible braces since they feel self-conscious about a mouthful of traditional braces. The Invisalign aligners are removable, so there are no restrictions on what a patient can eat. And the aligners are typically more comfortable than traditional braces.