Overlapping Teeth: Causes, Issues & Treatment Options

Your teeth play a significant role in your overall appearance, and having overlapping teeth can ruin your smile. Some people have only one overlapping tooth, but others have several overlapping teeth, leading to oral health issues.

This article will look at the causes and treatments for overlapping teeth and their impacts on your health.

What Are Overlapping Teeth?

Overlapping teeth are also known as misaligned teeth. As the name suggests, when teeth overlap or are positioned in front of adjacent teeth on the same dental arch, those teeth are known as overlapping teeth.

Having overlapping teeth can make chewing or speaking difficult for you. The alignment often results in jaw pain, and sometimes people can also develop the habit of tooth grinding because of the same.

What Are the Causes of Overlapping Teeth?

When a child develops a habit of sucking his thumb even after his permanent teeth come in, it usually leads to overlapping teeth. If your mouth is too small to fit all your teeth, you may start developing misaligned or overlapping front or back teeth.

While these are the two common causes for overlapping teeth, several other factors may lead to overlapping teeth. You can have a look at them below:

• Hereditary Causes
• Dental Crowding
• Prolonged use of bottle as a child
• Injuries that cause misalignment of the jaw
• Cleft lip and palate issues
• Teeth that have been blocked from breaking through the gums
• Extra teeth
• Crowns and fillings that don’t fit properly

What Are the Health Issues Due to Overlapping Teeth?

• Overbite

  Overbite is also known as buck teeth. Front upper teeth that extend out over the lower teeth are known as an overbite. Having an overbite can cause issues like:

  • Trouble Breathing
  • Pain while eating food
  • Alterations in the appearance of your face
  • Damage to your other teeth and gums

• Underbite

  When your lower teeth extend far forward than your upper front teeth, that condition is known as Underbite. In most cases, Underbite is mildly caused and is unnoticeable. However, people dealing with severe Underbite can go through problems like:

  • Difficulty while eating food
  • Misalignment of the jaw causing pain in the mouth
  • Having trouble while speaking

• Open Bite

  Open Bite is also known as Bad Bite. It refers to the condition when the top and bottom of your teeth don’t touch each other when your mouth is fully closed. This shows an opening between your top and bottom teeth. Having an Open Bite can cause problems like:

  • Lack of confidence when you smile
  • Snoring
  • Difficulty Sleeping
  • Headaches and Earaches
  • Trouble Chewing Food
  • Tooth Decay from Excessive Bacteria Growth

• Crossbite

  A crossbite happens when your upper teeth are wider and sit behind your lower teeth. The only difference between a crossbite and underbite is that a crossbite affects only a group of teeth, whereas Underbite ruins them all. Crossbite can cause problems like:

  • Sleep Apnea
  • Tooth Decay
  • Headaches
  • Difficulty Speaking
  • Pain in your jaw
  • Trouble Eating

What Are the Treatment Options Available?

Treating Overlapping Teeth is a time-consuming process; however, your results make it worth it. Multiple treatments can help you fix your overlapping teeth, as mentioned below.

• Braces

  Getting braces is one of the most popular and commonly used treatments for overlapping teeth. Mostly every dentist present across the globe can help you with installing braces. Traditional braces are usually made with metal brackets and wires that are connected with your teeth so they can reshape the overlapping teeth.

• Clear Aligners

  When it comes to Clear Aligners, Invisalign has been popular for a while now, and most dentists recommend you to go with them. Clear Aligners function like braces; however, they are not visible, making them the most preferred option today. These are a bit expensive compared with Traditional Braces; however, their advantages make them a worthy investment for your perfect smile.

• Veeners

  Veneers are thin sheets of laminate porcelain intended to look like the surface of natural teeth. It is applied to the front tooth surface, similar to false nails. Getting Dental Veneers can help you solve your problem; however, it is costlier than the other treatments mentioned.

• Tooth Extraction

  If you are going through serve overlapping, your dentist might recommend you remove some teeth to reshape your jaw. Dentists can also recommend Surgical Treatments in such cases.

Conclusion

Now that you are aware of Overlapping Teeth, you should visit a dentist to get them fixed. Putnam Orthodontics in Carmel Hamlet and Briarcliff Manor, NY, can help you solve your dental problems.