Bad bites, known as malocclusions, is a common dental problem where the teeth are misaligned and not functioning properly. It does not only affect your appearance but also exposes you to accelerated tooth wear and the risk of contracting dental diseases. There are different types of bad bites which include overbite, underbite, crossbite, and crowded teeth.
How To Correct Bad Bites
The good news is that orthodontics can help to correct bad bites. Orthodontics is a specialty of dentistry that deals with moving teeth to better and more attractive positions. If you need to get treatment for a bad bite, here are the most common options you have to correct your misaligned teeth;
Use of Expanders
Expanders are commonly used to treat crossbites. They help to spread the teeth so that the lower and the upper bite are evenly matched. A screw is usually used to tighten the expander so that the teeth can be spread to the prescribed measurements.
Use of Braces
People believe that braces are only for kids. However, there are adult braces too. Braces can help to correct almost all types of bad bites. There are two different kinds of braces- metal and clear bracket braces. Clear bracket braces, which are made from polymer material instead of metal, are mostly used by patients who find metal braces unattractive. However, they are very susceptible to breakages.
Use of Clear Aligners
While the first two options are fixed and cannot be removed by the patient, clear aligners are simply removable plastic trays designed to fit over a patient’s dental arch. They are usually a computer-generated series with each subsequent tray smaller than the previous one until the patient has worn all the trays to the desired alignment. Clear aligners are recommended for bad bites that don’t need complex realignment. However, sometimes a bad bite might need reconstruction, bonding, or implants to be done depending on a number of factors. You don’t have to persevere bad bites. Get in touch with our orthodontists so that you can which options are available to you.
