Common Orthodontic Conditions

Did you know? No two smiles are exactly the same – before or after orthodontic treatment!

Many patients have a combination of several conditions, each requiring careful movement to align the teeth and create a proper bite.

The various forms of misaligned teeth are called malocclusions, or “bad bites”. A bad bite occurs when the alignment of the teeth is wrong, resulting in improper positioning when the bite is closed.

While each malocclusion has specific causes and creates certain issues, they all cause problems for your teeth, bite, and overall health of your mouth and body. After all, your mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body: overall health begins with a proper bite and healthy teeth.

An open bite occurs when the top and bottom rows of teeth don’t touch when the mouth is closed. Open bites can occur in the front of the mouth (anterior open bite) or the back (posterior open bite), although front-teeth open bite is more common. Genetics or prolonged thumb-sucking in childhood are common culprits of open bites.

Impacted teeth are teeth that have failed to properly pass through the gum-line and grow into their correct position in the row of teeth. The absence of this tooth can disrupt the growth of other teeth, which may drift into the space, causing gaps, crowding, damage of adjacent teeth, cysts, or other issues. Impacted teeth may or may not need to be drawn out – or in some cases extracted – but they should be closely monitored by an orthodontist to assess whether treatment is recommended.

An overjet is a too-large horizontal gap between the top and bottom rows of teeth when the mouth is fully closed. The gap can cause the front teeth to jut out more noticeably, leading some to unkindly call this condition “buck teeth.” While a very small overjet is normal in a healthy bite, an excessive overjet should be treated with orthodontic care.

Gaps between teeth are too-large spaces between teeth. Patients may have a single gap or multiple gaps. They are treated with orthodontic intervention or prosthetic work, or a combination of both treatments. A single gap between the front teeth is called a diastema: it may not require treatment if it doesn’t cause issues for the patient.