05 Oct Open bite
Posted at 12:01h
in
An open bite means that when the jaws close there is a space between both dental arches, that is, there is no overlapping. It might have a skeletal origin (the bones are very separated) or a dental origin, and it might affect the front part (anterior open bite, the most common) or the back (posterior open bite).
In children it is commonly related to habits such as finger sucking or tongue thrusting. In these cases, treating the issue is very important in order to prevent an impaired bone development, which will be very difficult to correct in the future and might demand surgical procedures.
It causes speech disorders (“lisp”), lip impairment (trouble to close your lips at rest) and dental malpositions.
