The Underbite

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So you think you or your child has an underbite?  As it turns out that is one of the symptoms of jaw disharmony your orthodontist can help with.  The American Association of Orthodontists recommends a child visit the orthodontist by the age of 7.

The underbite can develop because of hereditary, functional shifts, and trauma among other reasons.  If the parents have a strong jaw or chin, the child may follow suit.  Many of the cases that present are also caused by a functional jaw shift into that position.  What that means is the bite can be aided into the underbite position by the teeth or muscles.  An orthodontist can take a few minutes to examine the patient and identify a shift by conducting “opening and closing” exercises.  One indicator that the relationship may not improve is if the teeth lock into that underbite position via interdigitation of the surrounding teeth (click here for an example).

Early treatment at Global Smiles Orthodontics can catch some of the developing problems so they don’t get worse and can also make treatment easier to fix later on.  Starting early can benefit a growing child because the orthodontist can help guide jaw growth, correct habits, improve the appearance and self-esteem of the youngster or the adult, and ultimately guide the permanent teeth into their position so the patient has maximum function, aesthetics, and jaw harmony.

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