Underbite, a kind of malocclusion that seriously affects the growth and development of the entire oral cavity, facial appearance and jaw bone, will make a great impact on children's psychology. So what is the underbite? And how to treat it? Let's take a look.

1. What is underbite?

The normal occlusion relationship of anterior teeth is that the upper anterior teeth are in front of the lower ones. If the situation is opposite, namely, the lower teeth are in front of the upper ones, then there comes the so-called "underbite", medically known as the anterior cross bite.

"Underbite" is a disease of oral malocclusion commonly seen in children, which may affect oral function, facial appearance and mental health seriously, and deteriorate with age.

2. What causes underbite?

(1) Genetic factors. If any of the parents has cross bite, there’s 1/3 possibility for their baby to get the disease;

(2) Improper feeding posture of the parents, or the baby has the habit of sleeping with the feeding bottle in the mouth;

Improper parenting methods. The baby has formed such bad habits as finger sucking, lip biting or biting things, sticking out tongue, and stretching out the lower jaw, etc.

3. How to prevent and treat underbite?

(1) Help the child to get rid of bad oral habits;

(2) Try breastfeeding as much as possible. Children who can only be fed artificially should be lain on their side, so as to not develop the habit of drinking milk on their backs;

(3) Go to the professional stomatological hospital for check-up as soon as possible, and resort to early treatment if the problem is found;

Underbite can be treated with teeth straightening device in the early childhood, but surgical treatment is the only possible way for adults.

4. When is the proper time to treat underbite?

If your child has underbite, don’t wait to fix it until the permanent teeth erupt. Treatment should be done as soon as possible. Parents must always pay attention to your baby's teeth. Don't assume that the child's teeth will be exchanged sooner or later so you can ignore it. If you don't handle it properly, it will possibly leave a lifelong negative impression on your child.

Cross bite during the milk teeth period can be treated within 3-6 months when the kid is 2-5 years old. Cross bite during the transitional period usually requires a second-time treatment when the kid is 6-12 years old. At this point, the treatment is relatively easier.

(2) If the cross bite was not treated during the transitional period, then it can be fixed after the age of 12 during the permanent teeth period with a more complicated oral appliance. At this time, the treatment is difficult and the result may not be so perfect.

Underbite during childhood is often caused by bad habits. Once the bad habits are corrected, the lower jaw can restore its original status, thus eliminate the disease. If that fails, a treatment is required. Generally, the cross bite of deciduous anterior teeth can be treated at the age of 4. If the child is cooperative, the treatment should be done as soon as possible to prevent the further deterioration of the disease.

The transitional period and the early permanent teeth period (8-10 years old) are proper time for underbite treatment, as the children of this age are highly cooperative. Patients who are suffering from maxillary dysplasia and facial depression caused by cross bite, should be treated as soon as possible. In such case, wearing a special teeth straightening device can pull the upper jaw with growth restriction to the front, and accelerate the growth and development of the upper jaw bone.

Fully grown adult patients with relatively lighter skeletal components can wear a fixed teeth straightening appliance for concealing treatment, while those with heavy skeletal components must receive a surgical treatment to correct the wrong bone position.

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