If you’re ready for your smile and your bite to be on track, then you’ve come to the right place. Sohn Orthodontics offers orthodontic solutions to key oral health problems like misaligned bites and teeth. When it comes to your bite, the results you get after treatment will be much greater than just a pretty smile–a misaligned bite can cause many problems with your health. That’s why it’s so important to have it taken care of sooner rather than later!
If you live in the Bridgeville area, be sure to schedule a free assessment appointment at Sohn Orthodontics to find out how orthodontics can fix your bite and create a healthier smile. Dr. Sohn is ready to help you find success on your journey. Keep reading to learn more about bite problems and how orthodontics can help improve them!
What Causes Bite Problems?
If you are struggling with a bite issue of some sort, you may wonder what caused this to begin with. There are a few factors that can happen completely by chance, like genetics, facial structure, or injury to the face. There are a few other factors that doctors agree can sometimes cause bite or jaw problems. We call them myofunctional habits and infants or children often pick them up during childhood. This includes bottle feeding, mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, and thumb sucking.
These habits are usually fairly hard to control as well, so there’s no need to blame yourself or your child for causing a bite problem. Instead, focus on the solutions that are available that we will discuss more below!
What Do We Mean by Bite Issues?
There are a few different kinds of bites that can create issues for your oral health:
Underbite
When the lower teeth stick out past the upper teeth when you bite.
Overbite
When the upper teeth stick out farther than the lower teeth.
Crossbite
When the lower jaw is wider than the upper jaw.
Open Bite
When the front upper and lower teeth do not connect when you bite down.
Misplaced Midline Bite
When the center of your upper teeth does not match the center of your lower teeth.
Overcrowded
When there is not enough space along the jaw for all of your teeth, causing them to crowd together.
What Problems Can Bite Issues Cause?
Let’s talk through a few of the issues that bite problems can cause when left untreated. Depending on the type of bite issues, the severity, and other environmental factors, some e.people may deal with just a few of these symptoms, and others might deal with more. Unfortunately, bite problems tend to get worse over time, so it’s best to treat them sooner rather than later.
Difficulty Chewing
Chewing is obviously an important part of being human. We need to chew to enjoy our food, and we need to chew to promote digestion and absorption of nutrients, which keep our bodies healthy and functioning. When you are unable to chew well due to a bite difference, this often means swallowing larger pieces of food that can be a choking hazard or can slow down your digestion. Food that is hard to digest can result in uncomfortable symptoms like constipation, gas, bloating, heartburn, or bad breath.
Jaw and Facial Pain
If you experience pain in your face and jaw on a regular basis, know that this is not normal and should be checked out by a dentist or orthodontist like Dr. Sohn. Facial pain may be a sign of a misaligned bite that is adding extra pressure and stress to the muscles of the jaw.
Communication Issues
One of the rare but still important symptoms of a jaw problem is a lisp or other speech disorder!
Wearing Down of Teeth
Your teeth are meant to fit together or interlock like gears when you chew so that they don’t clash or smash into each other too much. If you find that the enamel on your teeth is beginning to wear down and you start feeling some sensitivity or pain due to this enamel wear, then the cause could be an improper bite and you could benefit from orthodontic treatment.
Treatment for Jaw Problems
Thankfully there are some simple treatment options at Sohn Orthodontics that help align your jaw and reduce the harmful symptoms that we mention above.
Traditional Braces
First, traditional metal braces are still one of the best ways to treat jaw issues! Braces work efficiently and effectively to move teeth and bone into alignment and pair well with other devices like rubber bands, spacers, and palatal expanders.
Clear Braces
If metal braces don’t seem like the right fit for you, but Dr. Sohn is still recommending braces as your best option, then clear braces would work well. These braces are made entirely of a tooth-colored ceramic that blends in with your smile while still doing the powerful aligning work that your bite needs.
Invisalign
Though Invisalign isn’t a perfect option for every bite problem, they are effective for mild to medium complexity cases. Discuss with Dr. Sohn what her recommendations are for you and your unique needs!
Are You Ready for A Healthy Bite?
Are You Ready for A Healthy Bite?After all that you’ve learned about the necessity of a healthy bite, it’s time to take the next step and schedule that free consultation appointment! This will jumpstart your treatment and eventually, your stunning, healthy smile! We can’t wait to get started, so give Sohn Orthodontics a call today!