What does an overbite look like?

Underbite is a type of dental deformity that gives the appearance of a longer face, especially with the lower jaw protruding forward from a point. At this time, when the upper and lower teeth bite, the lower jaw will protrude forward, which is also called anterior crossbite in medicine, commonly known as underbite. When this happens, it not only affects the appearance, but also the chewing function, causing relatively serious effects on the face. If a child has this condition, parents should pay attention and conduct timely examinations and corrections.

What does an overbite look like?

Under normal circumstances, when the upper and lower teeth bite, the upper front teeth should bite the outside of the lower front teeth. If the opposite is true, that is, the lower front teeth bite the outside of the upper front teeth, the lower jaw protrudes forward. This is medically called "anterior crossbite", commonly known as "underbite", also called "underbite".

The development of a baby's teeth not only affects his chewing and digestive functions, but also affects his facial appearance. "Overbite" not only affects the child's tooth development, but also affects the entire oral cavity and may even cause changes in the facial appearance, so mothers should pay more attention to this.

Causes of the formation of overbite

1. Caused by genetic factors. If one of the parents has an underbite, the baby has the possibility of inheriting it, and this possibility accounts for 1/3;

2. Improper feeding method. The family factor for baby's crossbite of deciduous teeth is incorrect feeding posture. If the mother holds the bottle too high, the baby will have to stretch out his lower jaw to drink the milk. Over time, the lower jaw will protrude more than the upper jaw, forming an underbite.

3. Improper parenting methods. For example, if the baby develops bad habits such as sucking fingers, biting lips, chewing objects, sticking out tongue, protruding jaw, etc., and uses pacifier for too long;

4. Caused by local obstacles during the tooth replacement period. Retention or withdrawal of deciduous teeth, premature loss of upper molars, and posterior displacement of upper permanent teeth can all cause "underbite".

5. Caused by disease. If the baby has chronic inflammation of the palatine tonsils or lingual tonsils, long-term stimulation of the mandibular protrusion will cause anterior crossbite over time; patients after cleft lip and palate surgery often have insufficient maxillary development, which can easily cause anterior crossbite and mesial malocclusion, and the mandible will become prominent; patients with rickets and endocrine diseases may develop "underbite".

How to prevent the formation of underbite

1. Help children correct bad habits. For example, babies who bite their upper jaw or protrude their lower jaw should be intervened as early as possible to help them correct bad habits.

2. Encourage breastfeeding. Babies who can only be bottle-fed should be breastfed in a side-lying position and should not develop the habit of breastfeeding on their backs. Breastfeeding mothers should pay attention to correcting improper breastfeeding posture and avoid excessive protrusion of the baby's lower jaw. A baby who is bottle-fed should not be allowed to lie flat and suck milk from the bottle by himself.

3. Go to a professional dental department for examination as soon as possible. Once problems are found, early correction is needed. If your deciduous front teeth do not fall out when they should, or if they fall out prematurely due to an accident, you should see a doctor promptly.

4. To correct it during the baby's period, you only need to wear a simple corrector to correct it. However, if the correction is not done until adulthood, the only way to correct it is surgery.