Common Children’s Orthodontic Problems
Could your child benefit from orthodontic treatment? Here, we’ll provide a brief overview of some of the most common orthodontic issues we see in growing children:
Crowding
Crowding happens when there’s not enough space for teeth to fit normally in your child’s jaws. It could be because the jaws are too small, or the teeth are too big. There are many possible solutions depending on the stage of your child, some may include early intervention that may reduce the need for treatment later.
Crossbites
A crossbite occurs when one or more of your child’s upper teeth bite inside their lower teeth. It’s often the result of a narrow upper jaw. In children, widening the upper jaw with a palatal expander can help solve one of the most common orthodontic problems we see.
Too Much Space
Excessive space can occur when the teeth are small relative to the available jaw size, when one or more teeth don’t emerge from the gums, or when a tooth is lost to disease or trauma.
Underbites
Underbites present as the lower front teeth extending past the upper front teeth. A common cause for an underbite is either an recessive upper jaw or an overly-prominent lower jaw. In other cases, underbites are a tooth position issue, or can even be a transient developmental stage. A specialist orthodontist can review your child’s underbite and determine if treatment would be beneficial.
Deep Overbites
A deep overbite is a ‘vertical’ problem where your child’s upper front teeth cover too much of their lower teeth when they bite down. The bite can be so deep that the upper teeth completely cover the lower teeth. This can cause excessive dental wear, and may even cause discomfort and other dental problems as the lower teeth bite up into the roof of the mouth. Explore more in our dedicated article on overbites.
Increased Overjet
Another type of overbite is a ‘horizontal’ problem where the top teeth are ahead relative to the bottom, leaving a horizontal gap between the upper and lower teeth. Orthodontists call this gap an increased ‘overjet’. An increased overbite is the opposite of the underbite described above. Significant overbites may benefit from treatment with a Herbst appliance. View our before and after Herbst appliance gallery to see real examples of overbite correction.
Open Bite
An open bite is another type of ‘vertical’ problem. If your orthodontist has said your child has an open bite, this generally means some of the bite remains ‘open’ which other teeth are touching. For example, an ‘anterior open bite’ occurs when the back teeth come together, but the front teeth are not overlapping at all.
An open bite may occur for many reasons, with persistent thumb-sucking/tongue posture issues being among the most common.
Skeletal Discrepancies
Sometimes, the bite issues listed above result from incorrect tooth position, and in other cases, they result from jaw misalignment. Commonly, they are a combination of both.
Whilst we see adults with many of these types of issues, where there is a significant issue, jaw surgery is sometimes indicated for full correction.
For kids, the good news is that the earlier a bite issue is diagnosed, the greater the chance that full bite correction and improved jaw relationships can be obtained via relatively simple, non-surgical interventions.
Abnormal Eruption
Abnormal eruption happens when a tooth does not emerge through the gum into its correct location. If a tooth is not on track to emerge correctly, intervention may be as simple as recommending the removal of a stubborn baby tooth which is blocking the path of an adult tooth.
In other cases, a ‘tooth exposure‘ treatment plan may be recommended, which involves a minor surgical procedure to uncover the adult tooth, and prevent further problems down the track. This can be diagnosed and coordinated by your child’s orthodontist (a gum specialist or oral surgeon may also be involved).
How to Solve Your Child’s Orthodontic Problems
If you’re concerned about your child’s orthodontic health, schedule a Free* Assessment with us so we can assess if your child would benefit from early intervention or ongoing monitoring of their growth and development.
*If orthodontic X-rays are required, a fee of $180 applies. Treatment may not be suitable for you.
