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Mal
- occlusion literally means "poor closing" or
"bad bite". A bad bite can be caused by several
factors:
Dental
malocclusion
A dental
malocclusion occurs when the teeth are not lined up properly,
even though the jaws may be properly aligned.
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Dental
maloclussion caused by crowding
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Skeletal
malocclusion
A skeletal
malocclusion occurs when the upper and lower jaws don't line
up correctly.
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Overbite:
Upper jaw protrutes or lower jaw recedes (or both).
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Underbite:
Lower jaw protrudes.
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Bad
Habits
Your
teeth are not as fixed in place as you might think! Just as
a constant breeze can cause a tree to grow at an angle, repetitive
forces on your teeth can cause them to become "out of
alignment."
- Thumbsucking
can lead to an Open
Bite.
- Tongue
thrusting (pushing the tongue against the teeth when swallowing)
can slowly, but surely, move the teeth out of alignment.
- Fingernail
biting, or habitually biting or chewing on most objects,
can cause worn teeth.
- Mouth
breathing: Breathing primarily through the mouth instead
of the nose can dry out the tissues of the mouth leading
to swollen and irritated gums. Also, the unnatural jaw alignment
of mouth breathing creates and imbalance that can lead to
a malocclusion. If mouth breathing is caused by blocked
nasal passages, the obstruction must be corrected to prevent
a relapse.
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Grinding
Teeth (Bruxism)
Severe
cases of grinding teeth (bruxism)
can also change the occlusion. Most people who grind their
teeth do so in their sleep and therefore may be unaware of
the problem.
Missing
Teeth
Primary
("baby") teeth that are prematurely lost due to
decay or injury sometimes necessitate the use of a spacer
to keep the surrounding teeth growing straight until the permanent
tooth erupts to replace the missing tooth. If missing permanent
teeth are not replaced with a prosthesis, the adjacent teeth
can "tip" into the empty space and the opposing
teeth can "super-erupt" (meaning they grow longer
than is natural).
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Correcting
a malocclusion
Of course,
more than one of the above factors may be involved, so it
is important to obtain a professional evaluation. Left untreated,
a malocclusion not only affects the patient's appearance,
it can also lead to TMJ problems and
an increased risk of decay and
gum disease.
Dr. Landes
evaluates each individual case to determine the best course
of action to prevent or cure the malocclusion. Visit our Orthodontics
page to learn more about how early detection of malocclusions
in children and the use of arch expanders can reduce and sometimes
eliminate the need for braces!
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