One of your most important assets is having a confident smile. Research shows that smiling often can relieve stress, elevate our mood, promote trust with others and even live longer. A deep bite is one condition that can affect your smile by influencing the alignment and appearance of your teeth.
To find out if you have a deep bite and learn more about the cosmetic dentistry treatment options, schedule an appointment with Trident General Dentistry.
What is a Deep Bite?
A deep bite, also known as an overbite or closed bite, is a misalignment of your teeth. If you have a deep bite, your top front teeth will considerably overlap your front teeth on your lower jaw when you bite your teeth together. Sometimes this overlap is complete so that the upper teeth completely cover the lower teeth.
What Causes a Deep Bite?
A small lower jaw in relation to the upper jaw causes most deep bites. Other reasons for a deep bite include:
-
Missing lower teeth.
-
Exceptionally strong biting muscles.
-
Habits such as thumb sucking or biting nails or lips.
-
The collapse of the bite due to missing back teeth.
-
Prolonged bottle feeding.
-
Teeth grinding.
Why Should You Fix a Deep Bite?
There are several reasons you should fix a deep bite, such as to:
-
Improve your smile.
-
Prevent premature wearing down of lower front teeth.
-
Prevent biting into the roof of the mouth and causing ulcers and sores.
-
Improve your ability to bite and chew food.
-
Improve your speaking and breathing capability.
-
Prevent sleep apnea.
-
Helps prevent temporomandibular disorder.
-
Helps prevent crowded teeth.
-
Helps prevent gum disease.
Can Braces Fix a Deep Bite?
Fortunately, you can fix a deep bite with one of several orthodontic treatment options. Treatment is most beneficial in younger patients to help improve the function of their teeth, the appearance of their smile and improve the ability to clean their teeth. Older patients with a deep bite and worn or missing teeth can often benefit from restorative and cosmetic dental procedures. Fixing an open bite usually includes orthodontic and restorative dental treatment for the best outcome. Several factors influence the specific orthodontic treatment to fix your deep bite. Mild and moderate cases often respond well to traditional braces or clear aligners. Severe conditions typically need orthognathic surgery to move the jawbone into an optimal position.
How Long Do Braces Take to Fix a Deep Bite?
The duration of treatment depends on your particular situation. If you need restorative treatment, we plan the treatment either before or after your braces. The time in braces may also include time to straighten other teeth to improve the appearance and function of all your teeth. Typically, you need braces for two to three years to fix the deep bite. Following this time, you need to wear fixed and removable retainers to keep the teeth in their new position.
Schedule an Appointment
Having the smile you want is an important part of our dental treatment plan. Contact us to learn more about the many treatment options for fixing a deep bite at Trident General Dentistry. Our treatment goal is to give you healthy teeth and gums and a bright smile to be proud of.