What is the solution to open bite?

Open bite is a fairly common type of dental malocclusion. If left untreated during childhood and adolescence, many people reach adulthood with this dental problem. This malocclusion, in addition to having an impact on aesthetics, can cause some functional problems, which is why it is best addressed during childhood.

What you need to know to solve open bite.

1. What is open bite and what types are there?
2. What causes an open bite?
3. What problems are related to open bite?
4. What is the best treatment for open bite?

1. What is open bite and what types are there?

A child is considered to have an open bite when there is a lack of contact between the opposing teeth when closing the mouth, especially the canines and incisors of the upper and lower arches, although it can also occur between molars.

In other words, children with this type of dental malocclusion cannot close their mouth completely because their front and/or back teeth do not come into contact in the different arches. Since malocclusion of this type can be varied, there are different types of open bite:

• Anterior open bite: the most common of all, it occurs when the teeth that do not come into contact are the front teeth.
• Posterior open bite: contrary to what happens in the previous case, it is the back teeth (the molars) that do not come into contact.
• Lateral open bite: in this case, the problem is found in one of the sides (right or left) whose teeth do not fit together when biting.
• Complete open bite: this is the most complex case in which both the front and back teeth do not find their antagonist.

2. What causes the appearance of an open bite?

Although this malocclusion has an important unavoidable genetic factor that leads to skeletal and dental problems during the growth phase, there are other factors caused by certain habits that can also lead to the appearance of an open bite during childhood:

• Continued use of a dummy after the age of two or three.
• Sucking on the thumb or another finger during the first years of development.
• Pushing the teeth with the tongue (although it aggravates it does not cause it).
• Recurrent oral rather than nasal breathing.

3. What problems are related to the open bite?

As we mentioned at the beginning, open bite is not only an aesthetic problem but also causes functional problems that can carry over into adulthood, worsening the quality of adult life. Among the most important consequences of this type of malocclusion are the following:

• Difficulty in chewing and eating food. The fact that there is no correct contact between the teeth when closing the mouth complicates the chewing function of the teeth.
• Increased tooth wear in some teeth. As a result of the above, it is possible that premature wear of some teeth may occur over others, accentuating the problem.
• Breathing problems. Because of the impossibility of closing the mouth completely, due to the development of the jaws, many patients tend to breathe through the mouth instead of through the nose.
• Speech disturbances. During development, children may experience problems articulating certain sounds if they have this problem, such as a lisp.
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ)disorders. These manifest with symptoms such as head, face or neck pain, including problems such as bruxism.

4. What is the best treatment for open bite?

The best approach to this type of malocclusion is during childhood and adolescence. Two types of orthodontics can be used to treat open bite depending on the age of the patient:

4.1. Interceptive orthodontics.

Interceptive orthodontics is carried out on children from the age of 6 during the maxillary development stage if they have any skeletal problems. During growth, the orthodontist can guide and modify the development of the bones by correcting these structures to achieve the appropriate bone and dental positioning.

4.2. Corrective orthodontics.

From the age of 12, once the jaw bones have formed, only corrective orthodontics can be carried out. If bone growth has been previously corrected or the open bite problem is mild, this treatment would be sufficient.

However, once adolescence or adulthood is reached with a serious problem of this type of dental malocclusion, orthodontic treatment should be combined with a type of maxillofacial surgery known as orthognathic surgery.

Therefore, in order to avoid this type of more complex treatment in adulthood, it is advisable to treat dental problems from childhood, especially those that have to do with the development of the maxillary bones.

It is therefore important to have regular check-ups with a specialist. Paediatric dentists are trained to assess both the state of the teeth and gums of children and their development, and to detect early on if they may have any malocclusion.