by Orthodontic Gallery on Orthodontics and Anterior Open Bite.

What is an Anterior Open Bite?

An anterior open bite refers to a type of Orthodontic malocclusion. This type of malocclusion has no vertical overlap or contact between the anterior incisors. Which, put simply, means the front upper and lower teeth slant outward, so they don’t touch when the mouth is shut.

Malocclusion – misalignment or incorrect relation between the teeth of the upper and lower dental arches when they approach each other as the jaws close.

Anterior – refers to the teeth at the front of your mouth.

Causes

• Tongue thrust – An anterior open bite can occur when a person pushes their tongue between their upper and lower front teeth when they speak or swallow.
• Thumb sucking – or pacifier/dummy sucking can strain the alignment of teeth causing an anterior open bite.
• Temporomandibular joint disorder – The Temporomandibular joint is the joint that connects your mandible (lower jaw) to your skull and allows your jaw to open and close. TMJ disorders or TMD cause chronic jaw pain. People who suffer with this may use their tongue to push their teeth apart and comfortably reposition their jaw, which can cause an anterior open bite.
• Genetics or Skeletal problem – If your jaws grow apart as opposed to parallel to each other due to genetics or other skeletal problems this can cause an anterior open bit.

Treatment

When diagnosing and treating an anterior open bite it is important to consider all of the options available to give the patient treatment that is suitable and one which will give them the best results.

If an anterior open bite is identified early, when a child still has their baby teeth, it is possible to resolve the issue with behavior modification – remove the problem causing it – no more thumb sucking or dummies.

Interceptive early orthodontics may be the best course of action if a child’s adult teeth begin to erupt in the same open bite pattern as their baby teeth. The guidance of teeth eruption is usually achieved by simple fixed or removable orthodontic appliances.

Related: Early Orthodontics

In severe cases jaw surgery to reposition the upper jaw with plates and screws may be recommended. If for example,

Jaw and bite function are compromised

• Difficulty eating certain foods
• Damage to the gums and palate due to a traumatic bite
• Speech difficulties

Facial appearance is severely compromised leading to high levels of psychological distress, affecting interpersonal relationships, confidence and quality of life.

The most common treatment for an anterior open bite where all adult teeth have erupted is a fixed orthodontic appliance (braces) to correct the position of the teeth and bite.

Case Study

This patient came to us with an anterior open bite and while her pre-treatment smile aesthetics was satisfactory; therefore, we did not want to change this during her treatment, it was important to create a well-functioning bite for this patient.

All causes and treatment were explored, and her final diagnosis was that she was unable to correct the problem with behavior modification and all adult teeth had already erupted so the option of early orthodontic guidance of teeth was not possible. Jaw surgery was not necessary for this patient, so treatment involved Upper and Lower Fixed metal braces for 18months.

It was important to highlight to this patient before treatment that anterior open bite cases have a high risk of relapse; therefore, a recommended retention regimen needs to be strictly followed to minimise orthodontic relapse.

If you are concerned about your child’s Orthodontic malocclusion or you suffer with any of the issues caused by an anterior open bite or any other malocclusion you may benefit from Orthodontic treatment.

At Orthodontic Gallery, we believe you should have all the information you need before you make a decision on your Orthodontic treatment. That is why we offer a number of free consultation options.

Get in touch today to book you free consultation and find out more about your Orthodontic treatment options.