While social media and celebrities tend to portray picture-perfect smiles, the reality is that not many people are born naturally with such perfectly aligned teeth.
Many people are born with varying degrees of malocclusions – misaligned teeth.
The good news? With advanced medical technology, malocclusions can be easily corrected with the right orthodontic treatments!
In a previous article, we addressed the most common malocclusion – overbite – and how it can be treated with Invisalign or braces. In this blog, we will be focusing on another common dental condition – underbite.
What Is an Underbite?
As the name suggests, an underbite indicates a misalignment where the lower set of teeth protrudes more than the upper set of teeth.
In contrast, the ideal smile is one where both sets of teeth are aligned – with the top row slightly overlapping.
Both underbites and overbites have significant gaps between the upper and lower teeth, resulting in poorer aesthetics and possible health complications.
Reasons That Cause an Underbite?
Much like the overbite, underbites could be caused by varying reasons, ranging from genes to poor dental habits as a child and adult, such as:
- Genetics determine the overall shape of your jaw and size of teeth – while there is nothing you can do to prevent this, it can be easily corrected in your later stage in life.
- Prolonged thumb sucking or usage of pacifiers could cause the jaw to develop in a different direction.
- Facial injuries that could affect jaw development
Does An Underbite Cause Health Complications?
While mild underbites are rarely noticeable, severe cases tend to result in poor esthetics and cause more severe health problems. Hence our recommendation is always to get the condition diagnosed and treated early.
Some possible health complications related to underbites include:
- Teeth chipping and breakages – due to the allowance between the two layers of teeth
- Speech impairment
- Biting and chewing difficulties
- Jaw pain and discomfort – could develop into arthritis and chronic pain
- And many more
How to Fix an Underbite?
Underbite treatments like many other dental issues, vary depending on the severity of the underbite and the age of the patient. So, make sure to head to Dunegan & Cole Orthodontics to review your case and develop an appropriate plan for you.
Curious about the possible treatment methods? Here are some underbite correction treatments that we use::
- Upper jaw expanders
- Braces or clear aligners with orthodontic elastics – suitable for most patients
- Tooth extraction – for moderate to severe cases
- Surgery – only for adults with severe cases
Tip: Worried whether you may have an underbite problem? Get diagnosed and seek treatment early!
Looking to Correct Your Underbite?
Whatever your underbite concerns, there are plenty of treatments that are available to you.
Want to learn more about how we can help correct your underbite? Drop us a message at Dunegan & Cole Orthodontics for a free consultation to learn more about our recommended treatments to fix underbites.
