In dentistry, an underbite is when the lower jaw comes out too far in front of the upper jaw. This makes the lower jaw go over the upper teeth. Mild underbite is when the lower jaw overlaps the upper jaw, but the teeth don’t meet because the gap is so big. Severe case of this condition is when the teeth don’t meet because the gap is so big. Further read about align your teeth and tooth colored.

What Causes an Underbite? | Types of Underbites | What issues does an underbite cause? | How to Treat an Underbite | Overbite Vs Underbite

What Causes an Underbite?

Usually, your natural looking teeth grow in a way that the upper teeth fit over the bottom teeth. The teeth should fit together. However, there are a lot of things that make someone get this way. Below are a few:

Genetics

If a member of your family also has this condition, you are more likely to get it, too. Genetics also play a role in a person’s jaw, teeth shape, and size.

If this is the case, some people may be born with teeth that are close together, impacted, don’t grow all their teeth, are shaped oddly, has overjet, or don’t fit together.

Childhood Habits

Some habits that you did as a child can help you get an underbite. These are:

  • Nail biting
  • Thumb sucking (can also cause tongue thrust.)
  • The use of a pacifier is for children who are older than three years old.
  • Long-term bottle-feeding
  • Pushing of the teeth using the tongue
  • Bad oral hygiene habits (which also causes dental plaque and tooth decay)

Injury

Damage to the jawbones can be permanent-term if there are severe injuries. It’s usually possible to fix a broken jawbone, but the jaws usually don’t fit right even after surgery to move them.

Tumors

tumors in the jawbones or the mouth can make your jaws protrude. This can cause underbite.

Types of Underbites

There are two types of underbites.

Dental underbites are a misalignment of the teeth. They happen when a crossbite shows up in the front of the mouth instead of the sides. It looks like the teeth are a little bit forward, but the lower jaw doesn’t stick out.

Skeletal underbites – a bad shape of the jawbone can lead to this. Most of the time, it’s because of your genes.

What Issues Does an Underbite Cause?

There is more to having an underbite than just how it looks. The American Dental Association (ADA) says that the more severe this condition is, the more likely it is to cause oral health problems, such as bad breath.

  • Will have trouble speaking.
  • Will have a hard time chewing the food
  • Sleep apnea
  • The pain in your mouth and face because of a malocclusion in your teeth
  • Wear on the tooth enamel that is too much
  • Chronic mouth breathing and bad breath
  • Prognathism

When you have a noticeable underbite, your confidence will also be hurt.

How to Treat an Underbite

It is very common for the teeth to be a little out of place when at least most of the tooth eruption of the permanent teeth has taken place. However, there are some cases where the underbite is so bad that people who have it fixed will get more benefits than people who don’t have it fixed. Clinical medicine can’t treat an underbite on its own, so let Harbor Smiles help you with your underbite.

Below are some of those benefits:

  • Your teeth are easy to clean
  • Avoids the risk of diseases of the gums.
  • It will not put as much strain on the jaws, teeth, and facial muscles.
  • A dental abscess is less likely to happen.
  • There is less chance of breaking a tooth or tooth loss
  • People who have temporomandibular joint problems are less likely to get them.

The only way to treat this is to have it aligned by someone who knows how. An orthodontist is needed to fix this problem. Dr. Manali Patel can get rid of your underbite with any of the following treatments:

Braces – It is the most common type of orthodontics for people who have underbite. Dental braces are not hidden and can be seen when you talk or smile. Clear aligners help with this.

Appliances – The use of certain appliances can be used to help with this kind of thing. These are made to fit your mouth, but they can be uncomfortable because they are more noticeable than braces, which are made of metal. People who work with teeth and jaws recommend this therapy when it’s important.

This is an example of an orthodontic device: the reverse full face mask This is like orthodontic headgear that fits around your head. With this method, metal bands are attached to your upper back teeth so a device can gently pull your upper jaw into place.

Another type of dental appliance is the upper jaw expander, which helps to move the upper jaw. The upper jaw expander fits over the upper jaw’s back teeth and has a screw in the middle. Make the upper jaw bigger by widening it, moving your teeth inside the bone, and widening your teeth. If there is a pathology of the maxilla and mandible, this might not be the case.

Read about Lingual Braces.

Tooth Extraction – Extracting a tooth can relieve crowding so that biting can come together more naturally.

Surgery -This should only be used if the orthodontist thinks that all other treatments won’t work. Sometimes, it happens, but surgery isn’t always needed to fix an underbite.

Orthognathic surgery is a type of jaw surgery that can be done. This type of surgery is a one-on-one procedure that separates your jawbones and makes unique changes to your jaw alignment.

People with cleft lip and cleft palate may need surgery before they can fix their underbite. Read more about gaps in teeth smile.

Overbite Vs Underbite

An overbite is when your upper teeth are too close to your bottom teeth when your mouth is closed. This happens when you have a small jaw, or your lower jaw is shorter than your upper jaw.

When your mouth is closed, your lower jaw is in front of your upper jaw. This is called an underbite. There are many ways to look like you have this condition, but if it’s more severe, it can make your chin look bigger. More about us.