Are you facing difficulties in chewing or giving a fluent speech? Did you not take suggestions from your dentist yet? Do you know the reason behind it?

It’s MALOCCLUSION!

The Malocclusion of teeth is a common oral health complication found in most of the adults and children. It would be best to treat oral diseases at an early stage to avoid any serious teeth problems.

However, treatment for adults will generally become painful and take longer than early-stage treatment. But the procedure is necessary for a healthy dental care routine.

Here we have discussed details about Malocclusion right from the definition to the preventive measure and all in between.

Let’s first talk about the definition of Malocclusion of the teeth.

What is the Malocclusion of teeth?

Teeth Malocclusion is an oral health complication that can happen due to the misalignment of teeth when closed jaws. It is also known as crossbite, overbite, crowded teeth, open bite, and underbite.

In such a situation, the teeth would not be able to exercise significant functions if they are not in their right position.

Scroll down to know more about malocclusion features, its issues, its causes, how it can be treated, preventive measures for overall dental care, and digestive health.

Causes of Malocclusion

Here we have listed the causes of Malocclusion. It is an inherited condition that can be passed on from one generation to the next generation. 

Check the below-mentioned habits or conditions that may change the structure or shape of the jaw. It includes:

• Poor dental care causes improper fitting dental fillings, braces or crowns
• Regular use of a pacifier after the age 3
• Palate and cleft lip
• Extensive usage of feeding bottles in early childhood
• Mouth injuries may cause you the misalignment of the jaw
• Tumor Problem in the jaw or mouth
• Thumb sucking in early childhood
• Impacted teeth or abnormally shaped
• Enlarged adenoids, tonsils or mouth allergies cause airway obstruction

Features of Malocclusion 

Occlusion is a word that means the alignment of teeth. Usually, your teeth must fit comfortably within your mouth without misalignment issues such as spacing or crowding. Also, your teeth should not be twisted or rotated.

Mismanagement of ideal occlusion is called as Malocclusion. The type of mismanagement differs according to its impact and treatment. Make sure that the position of upper teeth must prevent the lips and cheeks from being bitten, while the position of lower teeth must protect the tongue from being bitten

If we talk about dental care and ideal teeth, then it should be in proper shape and healthy condition. The upper jaw teeth must slightly overlap the lower jaw teeth so that the molars pointed ridges fit perfectly into the opposite molar groves.

Symptoms of Malocclusion

Depending on its impact, here we have listed the major and minor signs of Malocclusion. Which include- 

• Lisp and speech problems
• Wrong alignment of the teeth
• Different face appearance
• Frequent biting of the tongue or inner cheeks
• Feeling discomfort when biting or chewing
• Breathing problem- inhaling and exhaling through the mouth rather than the nose

Classification of Malocclusions

Teeth Malocclusion is classified according to the below mentioned dental exams. If you want to know the type of Malocclusion, visit your near dentist, who then examines your teeth. He may exercise dental X-rays to check if your teeth are adequately situated or not.

Once your Malocclusion is checked, it will be classified by its severity and type. Here we have listed three significant classes of Malocclusion-

Class 1

In this type of classification, the Malocclusion is treated when the upper teeth layer overlaps the lower teeth layer. In this type of class, the overlap is slight, and the bite is healthy. This is the most common type of Malocclusion, found in most of the teenagers.

Class 2

In this type of classification, Malocclusion is treated when a person is suffering from a serious overbite situation.

The condition is also called retrognathism, which means that the upper jaw and teeth deeply overlap the lower jaw or teeth.

Class 3

In this type of classification, Malocclusion is treated when a person is suffering from severe underbite. This classification is also known as prognathism, which means that your lower jaw projects forward. It may cause the overlapping of upper teeth, jaw with lower teeth, and jaw.

Treatment of Malocclusion of the Teeth

If you have mild Malocclusion, you may probably don’t require any medicine or treatment. However, your dentist may suggest you for an orthodontist for general dental care. But if your Malocclusion is severe, you may require proper treatment. Your orthodontist may suggest many treatment procedures, depending upon its impact.

Treatment may include- 

• Installing braces to correct the posture and position of the teeth
• Correction of overcrowding by removal of teeth
• Bonding, reshaping, or capping of teeth
• Surgery to shorten or reshape the jaw
• Plates or wires for stabilization of the jaw bone

These treatments may not possibly lead you to healthy teeth or gums. It may cause many complications such as – 

• Discomfort and pain
• Tooth decay
• Irritation of the mouth from the use of braces or other appliances
• Difficulty in speaking or chewing during treatment

Prevention of Malocclusion

Malocclusion prevention is necessary for proper dental care. You cannot prevent it overnight; it can also be possible because of heredity transmissions.

You can prevent your child’s teeth by limiting the use of pacifiers and milk bottles to reduce the changes in the development of the jaw.

Treatment becomes more comfortable if you take preventive measures at the early stage of Malocclusion. Ask your dentist for preventive measures to cut down the serious risk of such disease.

Final Words

Malocclusion cannot be diagnosed overnight but can be prevented through various measures. It would be best if you took oral diseases seriously to avoid severe negative impacts later. Malocclusion is one of the significant teeth problems found in most of the children and adults.

The misalignment of teeth can disturb your dental care routine by making it dislocated or mismanaged. Soon you treat Malocclusion, the better the situation will be!

Comment down below if you found this article helpful.