Ideally, our teeth would bite down and the jaws would meet in a perfect bite to optimize function and oral health. Unfortunately, most people’s teeth are not in the perfect and ideal spot. This causes problems with chewing, oral hygiene, speaking and esthetics.

Malocclusion, or ‘bad bite’, is often times due to genetics. However, a bad bite can also be the result of thumb or finger-sucking, mouth breathing, dental disease, abnormal swallowing, poor dental hygiene, the early or late loss of baby teeth, accidents or poor nutrition. Trauma and other medical conditions such as birth defects may contribute to a variety of orthodontic problems as well.

Common Orthodontic Problems in Children & Teens

Underbite

When the lower jaw extends out, causing the lower front teeth to sit in front of the upper front teeth.

Overbite

The upper front teeth extend out over the lower front teeth, sometimes causing the lower front teeth to bite into the roof of the mouth. With this type of bite, there is often early enamel wear of the edges of the lower front teeth. Fixing this type of bite can preserve the health and longevity of the teeth.

Crossbite

The upper teeth sit inside the lower teeth, which may cause tooth stratification and misaligned jaw growth.

Openbite

Proper chewing is impacted by this type of bite, in which the upper and lower front teeth do not overlap. Openbite may cause a number of unwanted habits, such as a protruded resting position of the tongue and tongue thrusting.

Widely Spaced Teeth

Spacing problems may be caused by missing teeth, or they may only be a cosmetic issue.

Protrusion

Characterized by the upper teeth extending too far forward or the lower teeth not extending far enough forward. The appearance and function of your teeth are impacted by this type of bite.

Crowding

Occurs when teeth have insufficient room to erupt from the gum. Crowding can often be corrected by expansion, and many times, tooth removal can be avoided.

Misaligned Dental Midlines

Caused when the back bite does not fit and match appropriately, which may negatively impact jaw and proper dental function.

Missing Permanent Teeth

When permanent teeth are missing it may be possible to close the space of the missing tooth or it may be necessary to open the space and create an ideal environment for future replacement with a dental implant

Treatment of Oral Habits

Thumb sucking, protruded tongue posture and tongue thrust can cause a variety of dental problems including crossbites, protrusion, contriction of the top jaw and speech problems.

Common Adult Orthodontic Problems

Some common orthodontic problems in adults that may be corrected by Dr. Newman include: