Having a beautiful smile and keeping it is a worthy achievement. If you have a perfectly good teeth without any teeth gaps, overbite or underbite, it states that you have a healthy oral hygiene. Growing up with dental problems can have many effects on your health like improper jaw development, gum issues, toothache and many more.
What is Underbite?
Underbite is a condition wherein your lower teeth are quite ahead than your upper teeth and overlap them. This condition can be seen 1 in 10 American people. This condition should be treated at the earliest. If left unchecked, it could cause many issues for you while talking, chewing or even breathing as well. It can also lead to gum disease, that can be fatal as they can infections quite quickly as compared to normal teeth. Underbite should be treated at a young age as the facial structure is not fully developed and is easy for the doctors and patient as well.
Some of the treatments for underbite are –
● Braces – This is the most common form of treatment and is being used by millions worldwide. In today`s time, the braces are not just normal steel wires. There are options for invisible braces, which makes them practically invisible to others and are quite comfortable as well. It takes 2 to 3 years with braces to treat underbite; after that, the patient would also have to wear a retainer for some period of time as well. This is the least expensive option as compared to other treatments.
● Upper Jaw Expander – This is now being used by many people and can be removed while they are heading out. The doctor will install a wire frame across your palate in this method. With a special key, the patient can expand the wireframe every night so that it widens their upper jaw. The patient needs to keep doing it until the upper jaw is of the same level as the lower jaw and there is no underbite. Once this is done, the patient has to put on retainers for proper growth of teeth. The treatment takes roughly one year and is more effective in teens rather than adults as their facial structure is not fully developed.
● Tooth Extraction – This procedure is only for patients with a large number of lower teeth, and the doctor will pull out all the unwanted teeth so that there are no more protruding, causing underbite. This is a one-time procedure and is not much recommended to teens as they move a lot and could also cause serious damage if not done properly.
● Jaw Surgery – If the underbite is too big and the normal methods won`t work, then the orthodontist would suggest jaw surgery. In this, the team of doctors will reconstruct the jawline and ensure that the teeth are aligned and there is no more underbite or overbite. Jaw surgery is quite costly and should be taken as a last-minute resort after consulting a few doctors and trying the other treatments for underbite.
An underbite is a common problem around the world and can be treated quite easily if checked at an early age. One should consult an orthodontist before agreeing to any of the procedures. Getting rid of underbite would not only help you to have a beautiful smile but would also help you to get rid of many diseases and have good oral hygiene as well.