Crooked teeth: Part II

Types of malocclusion

Teeth misalignment or malocclusions are the abnormalities that affect the teeth only when they are crooked, twisted or separated; when the jaws or maxilla re affected these abnormalities are called bone malocclusions where there is a difference between the size and position of a maxilla respect to the other.

One person may have one or both types of malocclusion and depending on the severity of the case, the orthodontist will determine when to start an orthodontic treatment, what type of dental device(s) you will need and the time you will have to wear it.

Teeth may be in different positions when they get out the normal occlusion, thus they can press each other, be crossed or separated, or there may be an excess of teeth (supernumerary teeth) or the absence of them (genetic absence) or refrained (they have not came up yet).

In Orthodontics there are considered three types of malocclusions:

Class I: This is the most frequent type of malocclusion that is observed when the maxillas are aligned but the teeth do not fit well. Teeth could be too long or too short for the jaws, which can difficult the chewing, facilitate the appearance of cavities and gum disease (gum bleeding) and affects the personal look.

Class II: To this group belong most people who have crooked or mounted teeth or “protruded” which is the right term. This can happens when the upper jaw grows more than the normal and sticks out or when the jaw is deficient, that is, when it has not grown enough. In adult patients, jaw deficiency may require surgery.

Class III: This is the most uncommon case of malocclusion. The jaw sticks out more or protruded than the rest of the face, but this might be due to a grow deficiency of the upper jaw. In children, most cases can be treated with relative success, but some may require a treatment that combines Orthodontics with surgery.

Other common problems we can see in any malocclusion are:

Crossed bite: One or more teeth, whether the fronts ones or the molars are inverted respect its opposite.

Open bite: When the borders of the upper and lower frontal teeth can not make contact against each other, despite the molars do make contact. This is common in people (mostly toddlers and children) who suck their fingers or breather through the mouth.

Deep bite: The upper teeth cover too much the lower teeth, and in some cases it can make contact with gum of the palate when chewing, inhibiting the normal growth of the jaw in young patients that could cause other injuries.