This is a commonly used dental term which is used to describe the condition of “poor bite”. It could refer to quite a lot of different problems associated with the proper alignment of the teeth in your mouth. The issue is commonly hereditary which means that you are actually born with crooked teeth. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you couldn’t have developed the condition post-factum. You can even cause it yourself with excessively sucking your thumbs while you are a child.
There are a few different types of this condition. You might have heard of them before – they include overbite, cross-bite, under-bite or open bite. In any case, all sorts of spacing or crowding issues related to your teeth would fall within this definition. In any of these conditions, it can get difficult to smile, eat and smile.
In the majority of cases, malocclusion is treated in order to enhance the look of your bite – for aesthetic purposes. However, in some certain situations you might have to take care of it in order to be able to eat or speak normally.
The most common plan of treatment is through orthodontics. There are different appliances such as braces and many more, which are applied in order to gradually get your teeth in a proper formation. In some extreme situations, however, a certain tooth might have to be removed in order to get the teeth ready for the orthodontic treatment plan. If the situation is even more complicated than that, you might even require a surgery to get it fixed. However, the latter two cases are rather rare and scarce as in the majority of situations, regular braces work and adjustment treatment is going to get the job done.
However, it’s also possible that a particular dental work causes the malocclusion. It is rather difficult for the dentist to gauge the exact difference that a filling or a crown can make in the alignment of your teeth. Sometimes, what’s invisible for the naked eye could actually cause a great deal of discomfort upon sensing it in your mouth. A high bite could be the cause of the condition as well as an over-adjusted restoration, for instance. Thus after diagnostic examination is done and molds made, the orthodontist is able to judge the best method for your specific requirement.
As you can see, there are quite a lot of different reasons for which you might want to get your teeth checked out right away, especially if you are having some teeth alignment or bite issues. Make sure to make an appointment with your dentist on the shortest notice as the more you postpone this the more serious the entire situation is going to become. In fact, the majority of complications are usually going to arise simply because people fail to take the right actions on time and they delay the visit to the dentist. Don’t do the same mistake!