Common Conditions

Spacing

Spacing problems are frequently caused by missing teeth or a bite discrepancy, or they may pose an aesthetic issue.

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Upper Front Teeth Protrusion or Overjet

The appearance and function of your teeth are altered by the protrusion of your front teeth over the lower. Overjet is characterized by the upper teeth protruding too far forward or the lower jaw positioned too far back in your bite.

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Crowding

Crowding occurs when teeth have insufficient room to erupt from the gum. Teeth often rotate and erupt outside of the arch form. Depending on the underlying skeletal structures, crowding can be corrected by expansion and occasionally tooth removal.

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Crossbite

The upper teeth sit inside the lower teeth, which may cause tooth stratification and misaligned jaw growth. This can lead to asymmetric jaw growth and should be corrected as soon as it is recognized. Often a hyrax expansion appliance is used to correct this crossbite.

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Overbite

The upper front teeth extend out over the lower front teeth, sometimes causing the lower front teeth to bite into the roof of the mouth. In cases that have a severe overbite, a bite plane is used as part of treatment.

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Open bite

Proper chewing is impacted by this type of bite, in which the upper and lower front teeth do not overlap. Open bite may cause a number of unwanted habits, such as tongue thrusting. If a thumb or finger habit persists, we have an appliance that works beautifully to cease this habit. If the open bite is not caused by a habit, elastic wear during orthodontic treatment can often close it.

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Underbite

An underbite is characterized by the lower jaw extending out, which causes the lower front teeth to sit in front of the upper front teeth.

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Dental Midlines not Matched

This type of problem is caused when the back bite does not fit and match appropriately, which may negatively impact jaw and proper dental function.

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Impacted Permanent Teeth

A small percentage of the population has impacted permanent teeth. Upper canine teeth are one of the most frequent teeth to become angulated and lodged in the bone. If angulation of these teeth is recognized early, certain measures can be taken to aid in guiding them to their proper position. Once they become lodged in the bone, an oral surgeon along with appliances will bring this tooth into the arch.