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Mal
- occlusion literally means "poor closing" or "bad
bite". A bad bite can be caused by several factors:
Dental
malocclusion
A dental malocclusion
occurs when the teeth are not lined up properly, even though the
jaws may be properly aligned.
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Dental
maloclusion caused by crowding
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Skeletal
malocclusion
A skeletal malocclusion
occurs when the upper and lower jaws don't line up correctly.
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Overbite:
Upper jaw protrutes or lower jaw recedes (or both).
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Underbite:
Lower jaw protrudes.
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Bad
Habits
Your teeth
are not as fixed in place as you might think! Just as a constant
breeze can cause a tree to grow at an angle, repetitive forces on
your teeth can cause them to become "out of alignment."
- Thumbsucking
can lead to an Open Bite.
- Tongue
thrusting (pushing the tongue against the teeth when swallowing)
can slowly, but surely, move the teeth out of alignment.
- Fingernail
biting, or habitually biting or chewing on most objects, can cause
worn teeth.
- Mouth breathing:
Breathing primarily through the mouth instead of the nose can
dry out the tissues of the mouth leading to swollen and irritated
gums. Also, the unnatural jaw alignment of mouth breathing creates
and imbalance that can lead to a malocclusion. If mouth breathing
is caused by blocked nasal passages, the obstruction must be corrected
to prevent a relapse.
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Grinding
Teeth (Bruxism)
Severe cases
of grinding teeth (bruxism) can also
change the occlusion. Most people who grind their teeth do so in
their sleep and therefore may be unaware of the problem.
Missing
Teeth
Primary ("baby")
teeth that are prematurely lost due to decay or injury sometimes
necessitate the use of a spacer to keep the surrounding teeth growing
straight until the permanent tooth erupts to replace the missing
tooth. If missing permanent teeth are not replaced with a prosthesis,
the adjacent teeth can "tip" into the empty space and
the opposing teeth can "super-erupt" (meaning they grow
longer than is natural).
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Correcting
a malocclusion
Of course, more
than one of the above factors may be involved, so it is important
to obtain a professional evaluation. Left untreated, a malocclusion
not only affects the patient's appearance, it can also lead to TMJ
problems and an increased risk of decay
and gum disease.
Dr. Gifford
evaluates each individual case to determine the best course of action
to prevent or cure the malocclusion.
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