Broken or Unbalanced Bites

Your bite, or occlusion, is how your top and bottom teeth align when you open and close your mouth. While many patients are concerned with teeth alignment, dentists prioritize bite correction to enhance oral function and overall stability.

Do you have a malocclusion or problematic bite? Welcome to Pearls of Dentistry of San Diego, California, where we love fixing broken bites to restore optimal oral health. Schedule your appointment today with Drs. Lynne Thomas and Juergen Langenbach to get the aligned, healthy bite you deserve.

What is malocclusion or a bad bite?

A malocclusion or a bad bite occurs when upper and lower teeth don’t function properly when closing your mouth. Often, this happens when your teeth are overcrowded or misaligned, or the jaws themselves are misaligned.

Occlusions or bites are classified into three different categories:

  • Class I occlusion: It’s one of the most common. The bite is ideal and the front upper teeth slightly overlap the lower teeth. These are usually well balanced.
  • Class II occlusion: Retrognathism or an overbite occurs when the upper jaw and teeth considerably overlap the lower jaw and teeth. The lower jaw is often positioned too far back relative to the upper jaw and can lead to excessive stresses on teeth and other anatomical structures like the TMJ apparatus or bone.
  • Class III occlusion: An underbite or prognathism occurs when the lower jaw protrudes outward beyond the upper jaw, causing the lower front teeth to overlap the upper teeth. While these bites are not always aesthetic they usually do not exhibit problems with the occlusion or bite.

Genetics plays a role in how our mouths and jaws develop. However, broken or bad bites can be caused by upper body trauma or a series of micro-traumas during the growing and development years. Other causes of broken or bad bites include a poorly established airway, bruxism, tooth loss, and childhood habits like thumb sucking and jaw size discrepancies.

What are the problems of bad bites?

A malocclusion is more than an aesthetic issue. The common problems that result from malocclusion include:

  • Speech issues
  • Difficulty chewing food
  • Poor lip posture
  • Changes in facial appearance
  • Breathing through the mouth when awake or sleeping
  • Poor cervical spine or neck posture

How do we fix broken bites?

One of the ways our dental team can evaluate your bite is with a T-scan, a state-of-the-art diagnostic tool for unbalanced bites. The T-scan is an ultra-thin sensor designed to fit in your mouth and measure the bite force, location, and timing. It is connected to a computer, which displays 3D images to help the dentist analyze your bite function.

Another way is through extensive evaluation using 3D and digital technology. Fixing your bite can be life-changing. It improves your aesthetics restores your oral function and can stabilize your oral health.

Invisalign clear aligner therapy can also be used to optimize the position of teeth. A series of aligners are used to apply gentle pressure to gradually move the upper and lower teeth to achieve optimal bite alignment. Although typical Invisalign treatment only uses thermoplastic trays, elastics (rubber bands) may sometimes be added to your treatment to achieve the desired jaw movement.

Do you need to fix your bite?

Don’t ignore your unbalanced or broken bite. If you are experiencing problems with your bite, call (858) 451-3110 to schedule an appointment with Pearls of Dentistry. Our top-rated dental practice has experience fixing broken bites in San Diego and the surrounding areas. Take the first step toward your best smile.