We’re going dental…

Today’s guest post article falls on the topic of your dental health and it comes from Clarence Rivera who writes on the topic of overbite and its effect to your oral health. As we all have teeth and with all of the recent advances in mail order dental alignment, this article makes sense for us to share it; even with parents who may have an overbite themselves. Thank you for the guest post, Clarence.

Enjoy.
– Will

Know your teeth: Overbit and its effect to your oral health

An overbite is a malocclusion or misalignment of the teeth, and it is when your upper rows of teeth cover the lower rows of your teeth, especially the front. For you to have a beautiful smile and excellent oral health, both your upper and lower jaws have to meet evenly.

However, it does not mean that both your upper and lower rows of teeth have to be perfectly even. The upper rows of your teeth should slightly overlap the lower rows of your teeth. Your teeth should then easily fit inside your mouth without any tooth sticking out of another.

The essential functions of your teeth won’t be able to perform its best if your teeth are not properly aligned. Here are the oral health problems that an overbite might cause if you ignore them.

What else do I have to know about overbite?

An overbite doesn’t necessarily mean that you upper rows of teeth extend abnormally over your lower teeth. Minor overbites are the most common type of misalignment of teeth. On the other hand, there are also overbites with an excessive overlapping degree of about 4 to 10 millimeters.

Severe overbites are caused by genetics, misaligned bites, poorly fitted crowns, gum disease, a recessive chin, or a result of an injury. Also, there are cases in which the direction of the growth of the teeth come out in an awkward way.

Don’t panic if you see that your child has a slight overbite because that’s normal. The shape of our skulls will naturally allow the upper jaw to extend beyond the lower jaw. Moreover, you could have your dentist or orthodontist to measure your overbite and underbite. That will make sure if there is any misalignment.

Effects of overbite to your oral health

Overbites can be easily treated with conventional methods. It is even easier to fix in young children. There will always be time to fix the issues of overbites if the patient wills it. In line with this, here are the problems overbites can cause to your oral health.

Tooth Decay
Your teeth have a higher risk of decaying even with proper dental care if you have an overbite. The reason for the higher risk of tooth decay is because your teeth are constantly rubbing against each other, which wears down the protective coat called enamel.

If the overbite weren’t present, your teeth wouldn’t usually rub against each other. Further, tooth sensitivity in the areas with the worn down enamel and tooth decay also won’t be possible. Having overbites can also be the reason for cavities.

Gum Disease
Gum disease is caused by the teeth hitting the gum tissues when they’re not supposed to. Because of overbites, the back of the upper teeth may hit the gum tissues of the lower teeth. As a result, you won’t only be getting gum damage and inflammation, but can further lead to gum disease.

It was estimated that as much as 50% of Americans have gum disease. Although the majority of the percentage is for adults, children could still get gum disease because of overbites, despite it being a rare case on children.