Common orthodontic problems
Orthodontic issues are common at any age.
Even if you had braces as a kid, if you didn’t wear your retainer properly, you could find yourself needing orthodontic treatment again as an adult. Jeff Thompson Orthodontics offers orthodontic treatment for all ages. Here are some of the most common issues we see in patients at our Leawood orthodontic office.
There are two types of crossbites: anterior and posterior. Anterior crossbite is when one or a few of your bottom teeth protrude over your top front teeth. A posterior crossbite is when your upper back teeth sit inside your lower teeth. For young children with a crossbite, we may recommend using a palatal expander to widen the upper jaw while they’re still growing.
Teeth crowding happens when there’s not enough room in one’s mouth for all their teeth to fit in alignment. Having insufficient room in the jawbone can cause the teeth to grow in crooked, crowded and overlap each other. To correct crowded teeth, Dr. Jeff may suggest braces or another orthodontic treatment method.
An open bite occurs when the upper and lower teeth protrude outward, causing misalignment when the mouth is closed. With an open bite, the front and bottom teeth do not meet in the front. To correct this issue, we may suggest braces or another orthodontic treatment. In some cases, the patient is given a “crib” appliance to prevent thumb-sucking/pacifier-sucking behavior that may have caused the issue. A palatal expander may be used depending on the patient’s age and the width of their upper jaw.
An overbite is characterized by the upper teeth and jaw overlapping the lower teeth and jaw. Prolonged childhood habits, especially thumb-sucking and pacifier-sucking, can cause overbite and it is often genetic. An overbite can be corrected with growth modification appliances, braces or another treatment. Surgery may become necessary if this condition is left untreated for years.
Overjet is characterized by the top teeth protruding over the bottom teeth. This is often referred to as “buck teeth” and is typically caused by an underdeveloped lower jaw. Growth modification appliances and braces may be used by your orthodontist to push the lower jaw forward, aligning it with the upper jaw. If the upper jaw is underdeveloped, then we retract the upper jaw to align with the lower jaw.
Spaces between the teeth are often related to the size of the jaw bone, relative to the size of the teeth. When the teeth are significantly less proportionate to the jaw bone, excessive spacing between the teeth often occurs. To correct this condition, your orthodontist may suggest braces or another treatment method, as well as retainers to hold the teeth together and prevent further spacing.
Similar to an overbite, the underbite condition is characterized by a misalignment in the jaw and teeth. An underbite causes the lower jaw to overlap the upper jaw and is often caused by genetics. If the underbite condition is not too far advanced, it can be corrected with growth modification appliances and braces. If this condition remains untreated, the patient may require surgery to reverse years of misaligned growth.