Treatments > Openbite

"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.”  ~Joseph Addision

Openbite

An openbite is an insufficient vertical overlap of the teeth. It is caused by jaws that don’t grow evenly or such poor oral habits as tongue thrust and finger sucking. The timing of your treatment is critical to its overall success because an openbite can cause:

  • Excessive wear of the teeth
  • Gum disease, including loss of bone surrounding the tooth or teeth
  • Jaw deformity
  • Improper chewing patterns
  • An unattractive smile

OPENBITE CORRECTION

Correcting an openbite is fairly straightforward; however the correction isn’t permanent because braces enlarge the jaw socket.

A patient frequently falls back into tongue thrusting after the braces have been removed, moving the teeth back to their original position. The best treatment should begin as early as possible, before tongue thrusting and thumb sucking become ingrained habits.

Without treatment, the patient also may experience permanent speech problems and an unattractive smile.

Before
After

 

Please call us at (310) 444-1113 or send an email to schedule your free initial consultation. We serve Southern California including Los Angeles (LA), Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica.

We look forward to hearing from you!