Overbite Correction

Overbite is defined as the forwardly placement of the upper jaw, or teeth, or both. This leads to excessive space between the upper and lower front teeth when the jaws are in occlusion (when the mouth is closed with upper and lower teeth in contact) and often looks unsightly. In fact, besides seeming unsightly, there are many other dental problems that one may have to face, like difficulty in maintaining oral hygiene and dental health, mouth breathing, increased susceptibility to respiratory diseases, dry upper lip, etc. Thus, it is important to try to find out ways to correct overbite that can not only help to prevent further dental problems, but also help get back a beautiful smile. However, first let is try to see the types of overbite that exist.

Types of Overbite

• Skeletal Overbite: Skeletal overbite means that the overbite is completely skeletal in nature. This means that the upper jaw, or maxilla, is itself in protrusion or is very forwardly placed. This kind of overbite more often than not requires surgical intervention.
• Dental Overbite: This means that the overbite is purely dental or tooth related in nature. In such cases, the overbite correction is done with the help of orthodontic braces or smile designing methods.

Overbite Treatment Options

Braces
The best way to deal with a purely dental overbite is to go in for orthodontic treatment. Orthodontic treatment offers a near permanent solution for dental overbites and dental malocclusion. Orthodontic treatment helps in correcting an overbite by bringing the teeth into a desired position of occlusion. For achieving this, there needs to be enough space to pull back the upper front teeth. So, if the upper front teeth are proclined due to crowding, then there may be need for extraction to make space for the teeth. There are various types of dental braces that one can choose from.

Jaw Surgery
Cases that require overbite correction surgery are those wherein the overbite is purely skeletal in nature. In such cases, braces alone will not be of much help, as such cases require active jaw correction. Thus, surgical intervention becomes mandatory in such cases to achieve any kind of satisfactory overbite correction. Thus, either the maxilla is repositioned in such cases, or if the mandible is very retruded in nature, then it is pulled and brought forward. Sometimes, both are also done in conjunction for best results. Prior to this procedure, a detailed study is done to see what kind of treatment will give best results. Thus, various diagnostic X-rays are taken and the case is studied to see the relative position of the maxilla and mandible. Only after the surgeon is sure that there is need for surgery, is the surgery done.

Overbite Treatment Cost

The cost will depend on the type of treatment offered to deal with the overbite. If the person has proper skeletal overbite, then the person will have to go in for surgery. Thus, the jaw surgery cost will further add to the total cost of the treatment. Sometimes, there is also a detailed post-surgical treatment plan in certain complicated cases, like the person may need orthodontic treatment after the surgery, which will further add to the cost of the treatment. On the other hand, if there is need for only dental correction, then the treatment offered will only be in the form of orthodontic braces, in which cases, the person will only need to pay for the braces.

This was all about how to correct overbite. There are certain exceptional cases where there may not be need for either orthodontic treatment nor jaw surgery, like, if there is slight overbite which is only due to minor dental malocclusion and misalignment of teeth, then it is possible to achieve overbite correction without braces or surgery, as here, smile designing might be of great help. However, more often than not, such an option only serves to temporarily camouflage rather than permanently treat an overbite. Thus, to achieve long-lasting overbite correction, it is best to visit your dentist and get your condition properly diagnosed and treated to prevent any further complications, and to get that beautiful smile you always wanted!