Why the Cost of Braces Depends on Your Bite: Understanding Human Teeth Malocclusion

🦷 1. Overbite (Vertical Overlap)

What it looks like:

Your upper front teeth overlap your lower front teeth more than usual. In severe cases, they cover them completely or even touch the lower gums.

Common symptoms:

• • “Deep” smile or very short lower teeth

• • Worn-down lower teeth

• • TMJ (jaw joint) pain or jaw clicking

• • Gummy smile

Treatment complexity:

🟡 Mild to moderate (sometimes severe if jaw-related)

Treatment options:

• • Braces with bite blocks or elastics

• • Clear aligners (for mild-moderate cases)

• • In severe skeletal cases, jaw surgery may be needed

🦷 2. Open Bite

What it looks like:

When you close your mouth, your front teeth don’t touch—there’s a vertical gap between your top and bottom front teeth.

Common symptoms:

• • Can’t bite into sandwiches or use front teeth to tear food

• • Lisping or tongue thrust

• • Mouth breathing habits

Treatment complexity:

🔴 Moderate to severe

Treatment options:

• • Braces with habit appliances (e.g. tongue crib)

• • Myofunctional therapy

• • Jaw surgery (if caused by skeletal growth pattern)

🦷 3. Deep Bite (Severe Overbite)

What it looks like:

Similar to overbite, but the overlap is much more extreme—lower teeth may be hidden behind upper teeth completely.

Common symptoms:

• • Biting the roof of the mouth

• • Lower front teeth barely visible

• • Gum damage behind upper teeth

Treatment complexity:

🟡 Moderate

Treatment options:

• • Bite-opening appliances with braces or aligners

• • Use of molar intrusion or bite turbos

🦷 4. Crossbite

What it looks like:

Some upper teeth sit behind lower teeth instead of outside. This can happen at the front or back, and on one side or both.

Common symptoms:

• • One-sided chewing or jaw shifting

• • Uneven facial growth

• • Tooth wear or chipping

• • Clicking in the jaw

Treatment complexity:

🟡 Mild to moderate (more severe in adults)

Treatment options:

• • Palatal expanders (ideal for children)

• • Cross elastics or interarch mechanics

• • Braces or aligners

• • Surgery in severe adult cases

🦷 5. Excessive Spacing (Diastema and Generalized Gaps)

What it looks like:

Noticeable gaps between two or more teeth. Most common between the two front upper teeth.

Common symptoms:

• • Food gets trapped

• • Speech whistling or lisp

• • Aesthetic concerns

Treatment complexity:

🟢 Mild

Treatment options:

• • Clear aligners or braces to close gaps

• • Cosmetic bonding or veneers (for small gaps)

• • Retainers to prevent relapse

🦷 6. Crowding

What it looks like:

Teeth are crooked, overlapping, or rotated due to lack of space in the jaw.

Common symptoms:

• • Misaligned smile

• • Hard to brush/floss properly

• • Higher risk of decay or gum problems

• • Teeth erupting in the wrong positions

Treatment complexity:

🟡 Mild to severe

Treatment options:

• • Braces or aligners to align teeth

• • Interproximal reduction (to make space)

• • Tooth extraction (in severe cases)

• • Expansion appliances (for growing children)

🦷 7. Overjet (Protrusion)

What it looks like:

Upper front teeth project outward too far from the lower front teeth.

Common symptoms:

• • Difficulty closing lips comfortably

• • Lip strain or mouth breathing

• • High risk of dental trauma (e.g., from falls)

Treatment complexity:

🟡 Mild to moderate (occasionally severe)

Treatment options:

• • Braces with elastics

• • Growth modification appliances (for kids)

• • Clear aligners

• • Jaw surgery (for severe jaw discrepancy)

🦷 8. Underbite (Anterior Crossbite or Class III)

What it looks like:

Lower teeth extend in front of upper teeth when biting down.

Common symptoms:

• • Jaw or facial imbalance

• • Difficulty biting or chewing

• • Speech difficulties

• • Tooth wear or grinding

Treatment complexity:

🔴 Moderate to severe

Treatment options:

• • Face mask or chin cup (in children)

• • Braces with elastics

• • Orthognathic surgery (in adults)