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Conditions, Goals and Treatments
The technical term for an orthodontic problem is malocclusion.
Malocclusions are categorized into two types:
Skeletal malocclusion occurs when the upper and lower jaws don't line
up with one another or when the jaws are too big or too small for the
teeth.
Dental malocclusion occurs when the teeth are out of line, crowded, turned
or spaced too far apart.
Generally people have a combination of both skeletal and dental malocclusions
that must be addressed.
Orthodontists further classify orthodontic problems as follows:
Crowding
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| Teeth may be aligned poorly because the
dental arch is small and/or the teeth are large. The
bone and gums over the roots of extremely crowded teeth
may become thin and recede as a result of severe crowding.
Impacted teeth, poor biting relationships and undesirable
appearance may all result from crowding. |
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| A deep overbite or deep bite occurs when
the lower incisor (front) teeth bite too close or into
the gum tissue behind the upper teeth. When the lower
front teeth bite into the palate or gum tissue behind
the upper front teeth, significant bone damage and discomfort
can occur. A deep bite can also contribute to excessive
wear of the incisor teeth. |
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Open
bite
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| An open bite results when the upper and
lower incisor teeth do not touch when biting down. This
open space between the upper and lower front teeth causes
all the chewing pressure to be placed on the back teeth.
This excessive biting pressure and rubbing together of
the back teeth makes chewing less efficient and may contribute
to significant tooth wear. |
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Overjet
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| Overjet or or upper protruding teeth is
where the upper front teeth protrudes beyond normal contact
with the lower front teeth. An overjet are prone to injury,
often indicate a poor bite of the back teeth, and may
indicate an unevenness in jaw growth. Commonly, protruded
upper teeth are associated with a lower jaw that is short
in proportion to the upper jaw. |
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Underbite
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| About 3 to 5 percent of the population
has a lower jaw that is to some degree longer than the
upper jaw known as an underbite or lower jaw protrusion.
This can cause the lower front teeth to protrude ahead
of the upper front teeth creating a crossbite. Careful
monitoring of jaw growth and tooth development is indicated
for these patients. |
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Crossbite
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| The most common type of a crossbite is
when the upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth (toward
the tongue). Crossbites of both back teeth and front
teeth are commonly corrected early due to biting and
chewing difficulties. |
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Spacing
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| If teeth are missing or small, or the
dental arch is very wide, space between the teeth can
occur. The most common complaint from those with excessive
space is poor appearance. |
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Goto
section on Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Orthodontic Treatments
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