[Oral Health Science Series 3] Prevention and Treatment of Overbite

What is "overbite"?

Why does "overbite" occur?

Does “overbite” require early intervention and correction?

Here are the things you need to know about "overbite"!

"Overbite" is also called "underbite", and its scientific name is "anterior crossbite (hé)", which is often manifested by the lower teeth covering the upper teeth. When we find that children have signs of overbite, we must intervene in time, otherwise as they grow older, the overbite will become more complicated, the difficulty of correction will increase, the correction effect will deteriorate, and the physical and mental health of children will be affected.

How to determine whether a child has overbite

First, viewed from the front, a normal bite shows the upper teeth covering the lower teeth, while an overbite is the opposite, with the lower teeth covering the upper teeth.

Second, viewed from the side, patients with overbite have a protruding chin, and in severe cases, the face appears concave, such as what people often call a "shoe horn face."

Causes of overbite 1. Genetic factors

Nearly half of the patients with overbite have similar symptoms among their first to third generation blood relatives.

2. Bad oral habits

Habits such as sucking fingers, biting the upper lip, sticking out the tongue, and protruding the mandible will lead the mandible to protrude forward, resulting in an overbite.

3. Local obstacles during the deciduous dentition period

Most of the deciduous molars are lost prematurely, resulting in chewing with the front teeth, and the mandible gradually moves forward; the deciduous front teeth are retained, and the permanent incisors erupt in a misplaced position; insufficient wear of the deciduous canines causes early contact, and the mandible reflexively moves forward.

4. Improper feeding method

If the bottle is positioned too high, the baby will form a habit of feeding on his back; if the hole of the nipple is too small, the baby will suck hard to get enough milk, which will also force the mandible to protrude forward.

5. Disease

Certain diseases can also cause underbite. For example, congenital cleft lip and palate, hyperpituitarism, rickets, etc. can lead to maxillary hypoplasia; chronic tonsillitis, adenoid hyperplasia or hypertrophy and other respiratory diseases can cause mouth breathing, forcing the mandible to protrude forward.

The harm of "underbite"

1. Affects oral functions such as chewing, swallowing, and language.

2. Affect oral health and oral and maxillofacial development.

3. Affects mental health, causing children to have decreased self-esteem and inferiority complex, dare not open their mouths to laugh, and even be unwilling to speak, becoming isolated and introverted.

How to prevent overbite

Many parents may think that "children still need to change their teeth, and underbite will not have much impact, so they can wait until after the teeth change to treat it." In fact, this is a wrong idea! Preventing the formation of underbite is crucial:

1. Help children correct bad oral habits.

2. Actively treat respiratory diseases.

3. Encourage breastfeeding and ensure correct feeding posture (see picture above).

4. Have regular dental check-ups to help detect and treat problems early.

Treatment of Overbite

The time for correction of overbite of deciduous teeth is generally around 3 to 5 years old.

Children between 3 and 5 years old already have a certain degree of cooperation, and the correction is relatively easy. The correction is mainly based on dental and functional "underbite", and the correction method is relatively simple. Commonly used ones include maxillary pad-type orthodontic appliances, etc. At the same time, factors that cause the overbite should be actively removed.

Maxillary pad appliance

The early correction time during the period of tooth replacement is around 7 to 10 years old.

Correcting the overbite during this period helps to establish a good occlusal relationship and prevent further aggravation of the overbite. Commonly used appliances include functional appliances (such as Frankel Ⅲ) and orthopedic force appliances (such as anterior traction appliances).

Frankel III

Anterior traction appliance

Orthodontic treatment for permanent teeth

During this period, dental and skeletal "underbite" is the main cause. Mild to moderate skeletal underbite can be treated with fixed corrections, while severe cases can be treated with orthodontic-orthognathic surgery after adulthood.

Orthodontic-orthognathic surgery combined treatment

In short, you should have a dental check-up early and regularly, and intervene and correct it in time when you find a tendency towards overbite. Every check-up means a little more handsomeness and beauty!

The popular science content of this platform has been funded by the China Association for Science and Technology's Science Popularization Department's 2022 National Science Literacy Action Project "National Society Science Popularization Capacity Improvement Project-Rehabilitation Science Popularization Service Capacity Improvement Action Plan"

Author: Chen Weiyu, Wu Sijie

Reviewer: Liu Zhiqiang

Unit: Stomatological Hospital Affiliated to Guilin Medical College, Oral Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation Committee of Chinese Rehabilitation Medicine Association