In the orthodontic community, we define “bite” as how your upper and lower teeth come together when you close your mouth. Your bite’s functionality is critical to your oral and overall physical health.
An improperly aligned bite can be called a few things, depending on what exactly makes your bite poor. An overbite is when the upper teeth stick out farther than your lower teeth. An open bite is when the top and bottom teeth do not connect when you bite down. An underbite is when the lower front teeth in your lower jaw stick out past the teeth in your upper jaw. A crossbite is when some or all teeth in your upper jaw fit inside the lower teeth. Overcrowding is when there is not enough space for your teeth, so they become pushed together. A misplaced midline bite is when the center of your upper front teeth doesn’t match with the center of your lower teeth.
Fortunately, no matter the name of your bite’s condition, Champlain Orthodontics can improve it!
What’s So Bad About An Unusual Bite?
Your ability to open and close your jaw and have your teeth properly aligned can drastically affect your quality of life.
Common complications include unwanted influence on the facial development of children, trouble chewing and swallowing, difficulty performing adequate oral hygiene, narrow air passageways, dry mouth, TMJ pain, migraines, trouble communicating, and abnormally quick wear and tear on the teeth.
These symptoms can lead to weakened enamel, tooth decay, bad breath, gum disease, tooth loss, heartburn, indigestion, and chronic pain. If severe enough, they can also cause mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression.
But you don’t have to live with your bad bite!
How Can A Bite Be Treated?
Champlain Orthodontics offers a variety of treatment options that can improve your bite and relieve your symptoms.
Metal Braces
Known as the reliable workhorse in the orthodontic community, this durable treatment option can fix even the most complex alignment needs. Metal braces allow for accessories like orthodontic elastic bands that help align the jaw or spacers to fix overcrowding. They are great for patients of any age.
Clear Braces
This treatment option is identical to metal braces in how they work; their only difference is the materials used to make them! Instead of metal, clear braces use a blend of ceramic materials to create a tooth-colored bracket. If paired with matching ligatures (the bands that hold the wire to the bracket), they give wearers the illusion of clear braces! They provide an aesthetically fun and discrete option for patients who don’t qualify for clear aligners (see next) or don’t want to remember to wear their orthodontic appliance.
While durable, clear braces cannot handle as intense wire tightenings as their metal predecessor, so patients should expect to spend a little more time in treatment. Because of this and the care associated with clear braces, we suggest them for adults and older teenagers.
Invisalign
For patients with milder bite alignment needs, we also offer clear aligners through Invisalign. Clear aligners are transparent, custom-made trays that provide patients with a comfortable and nearly invisible orthodontic treatment. Unlike with braces, you would not have any food restrictions and would not have to change your diet to accommodate your orthodontic appliance, but you would have to remember to wear them for twenty-two hours a day if you want to see any results.
Invisalign makes trays for children, teens, and adults.
Two-Phase Treatment
Though orthodontic care is associated with teenagers and adults, it is also available for children as young as seven!
While most young patients don’t require treatment until they are older, those who do are likely to participate in Two-Phase Treatment. Phase one takes place when they are younger and still have some baby teeth. Phase two takes place years later when they have grown in all or most of their adult teeth.
Two-Phase Treatment is not used to treat cosmetic concerns in children. It is only to provide necessary preventative care (to stop a problem from developing), interceptive care (to stop an already developing problem), and development guidance (giving the jaw and teeth direction and assistance as your child grows).
Concerned About Your Bite? Champlain Orthodontics Can Help!
Orthodontic care can be intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be. Champlain Orthodontics can provide your entire family with stress-free, enjoyable, and life-changing orthodontic care.
To learn more about us and which treatment option you qualify for, contact our office to schedule your free consultation! For those extra busy families, we also offer virtual consultations!
We look forward to meeting you and watching your bite change for the better!