Monday 2 August 2021

Overbite vs overjet – causes, effects & treatments

 By reading the topic, you would already know that we are talking about malocclusions here. Overjet and overbite are two different types of malocclusions, and people often confuse them to be the same, but they are both different. Let us have a look at these in detail.

Overjet

If your upper jaw is resting at an outward angle, you would have an overjet tooth. Because of being on an outer side, the upper teeth will extend in front of your lower jaw. With this condition, you will not be able to close your mouth entirely. This condition affects your day-to-day routine, like speaking and chewing.

Overbite

In an overbite, your upper teeth are going to overlap your lower teeth by more than 3mm. This way the teeth are going to make a huge impact on each other. Thus, you may face jaw pain, tooth decay along with overbite teeth.

Does the definition sound confusing? Let us see the prominent difference between both of these conditions. For detailed information, talk to our Indianapolis orthodontist.

The primary difference between overbite teeth and overjet teeth is the angle of the upper teeth and jaw. In an overbite, the angle of misalignment is vertical, while in an over jet, the angle is horizontal. In an overbite, upper teeth point downwards. The overjet makes your upper teeth protrude diagonally against the lower teeth.

The repercussions of Untreated overbite & overjet

If you think that working on such malocclusions is solely for cosmetic purposes, it is wrong and you need to rethink this notion. An untreated abnormal bite leads to a number of oral and overall health problems. Some of the possible issues due to bad bite are as follows:

1. Damaged & fractured teeth

This is the main cause of an untreated overbite. You need to remember that an abnormal bite is going to make your teeth hit each other often. The constant rubbing and grinding will result in enamel damage and tooth fracture. You can even lose a tooth too.

2. Pain in the jaw

Let us not forget that an abnormal tooth will lead to severe pain in the jaw. This is because the lower teeth will be stressed and they will keep poking in the back of the upper teeth. This would result in the wear and tear of your gums and ailments such as gum recession, wiggly loose teeth, and so on.

3. Gum damage

When you leave the malocclusion untreated for a long time, it will lead to severe gum damage in the long run. And it will have a number of adverse effects on your physical as well as mental health.

4. Sleep apnea

It has been proved that orthodontic problems will ruin the quality of your sleep. People with an overjet tend to develop sleep apnea because you do not get sufficient airflow in a misaligned bite.

Talk to your Crawfordsville orthodontist to know more on it.

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