Bad Bite

A beautiful smile where all of your teeth are straight and your top teeth line up with your bottom teeth.


Causes
A common cause of malocclusion is disproportion between jaw size and tooth size or between the size of the upper and lower jaws. These differences can result in the overcrowding of teeth and in an abnormal bite. Another cause is loss of one or more teeth: When a tooth is lost, nearby teeth tend to drift into the newly available space, moving them out of alignment. If missing permanent teeth are not replaced with implants, a bridge, or a partial denture, the adjacent teeth can "tip" into the empty space and the opposing teeth can "super-erupt" meaning they grow longer than is natural. Malocclusion may have a hereditary component.

Bad Habits
The teeth are not as fixed in place as one might think! A strong, constant breeze can cause a tree to grow at an angle, instead of allowing straight and upright growth. The few bad habits or repetitive forces on your teeth can also cause them to become "out of alignment."

* Thumbsucking can lead to an Open Bite.
* Tongue thrusting (pushing your tongue against the back of your teeth) can slowly, but surely, move your teeth out of alignment.
* Fingernail biting, or habitually biting or chewing on most objects, due to psychological reasons can cause worn teeth.
* Mouth breathing: Breathing primarily through your mouth instead of your nose habitually or prolonged, unattended nasal problems can dry out the tissues of your mouth leading to swollen and irritated gums. Also, the unnatural jaw alignment of mouth breathing creates and imbalance that can lead to a malocclusion.