Are You Embarrassed By Your Under bite Teeth? Here's What To Do

Among the many orthodontic conditions that afflict kids, teens, and adults, underbites are among the most serious. In addition to being an aesthetic concern, underbite teeth can cause a lot of oral health issues, such as rapid tooth erosion, difficulty chewing, headaches, jaw muscle deterioration, and even difficulty with speech.

What is an Underbite?

Generally, all upper teeth should be in front of the lower teeth. But in the case of an underbite, the lower jawbone protrudes upward and outward, extending past the upper jawbone in a significant and noticeable way. If we talk about it in medical terms, it is a Class III malocclusion in Orthodontic classification. But what causes underbite teeth to happen in the first place?

What are the Causes of Underbite?

Usually, underbite issues are genetic. However, there are other factors too that can cause underbite teeth as well, including:

1. Childhood habits like thumb sucking, overuse of pacifier, extended bottle-feeding, or tongue thrusts.
2. A cleft lip or palate can cause this type of malocclusion to occur.
3. Abnormalities in the jaw bone and poor chewing habits can also result in underbite teeth. 
4. Injury to the face may also result in permanent damage to the jawbones, including an underbite. 
5. The position in which your teeth erupted from the gums.

How Do Underbite Teeth Affect Oral Health?

There are lots of issues that come along with having underbite teeth, such as:

1. Difficulty with chewing
2. Swallowing and speaking
3. Bite problems 
4. Tooth decay due to excessive wear of the front tooth enamel,
5. Bad breath

Thus, underbite teeth impact everything from chewing and smiling to longer-term physical and mental health. Luckily, there are several underbite teeth treatment options.

What are underbite teeth treatment options available?

Like most dental misalignments, underbite teeth are best corrected earlier than later. The sooner underbite is addressed, the sooner you can get the physical, functional, and aesthetic relief that you are seeking. Correction of an underbite can be achieved in any number of ways, but it mostly depends on the severity, age, and overall medical condition. 

1. Braces

Braces are evidently the most common treatment to correct a mild to moderate underbite. They use brackets and wires to twist, push, and/or move underbite teeth into a better position. 

2. Clear Aligners

Clear aligners are custom molds created to treat underbite teeth. How long the aligners take to work varies from person to person, but in general, this is an increasingly popular option because of the way the aligners are not noticeable. 

3. Jaw Surgery (in combination with Orthodontic treatment)

If at some point, it becomes necessary to alter the jawbones to properly align the teeth due to underbite, jaw surgery is recommended. Most commonly this modality is used in adults but may be used in young children in certain conditions. However, It is also important to know that underbite surgery has risks when it involves children and should only be used when the underbite is affecting the child’s quality of life, ability to speak, or ability to breathe and eat. 

How are clear aligners a better option?

If you are dealing with a mild to moderate underbite and going for orthodontic treatment, you may be less than enthused about underbite correction with braces. After all, traditional braces are quite noticeable, and uncomfortable, and can take years to correct the issue. That is where Clear Aligners come in! If you have an underbite and do not want to wait years for orthodontic treatment, clear aligners are the better option. However, it is recommended that you need to wear these aligners for at least 22 hours per day for up to one year (or less) to slowly correct your underbite teeth. With less pain, and faster results they will dramatically transform your smile.

So don’t let underbite teeth keep you from enjoying life. It is time to take charge of your and your family’s oral health. At Flash Orthodontics, we help in developing a course of action that will produce the best possible results. If you feel your jaw alignment is abnormal and you are unhappy with your overall experience, visit Flash Aligners to get flash aligner treatment to create the smile you desire. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.