When a person looks at you, the first thing that matters is the first appearance. Appearance for many people plays an important role since it determines how people will perceive them. People wish to have the most picture-perfect smile at all times. However, not everyone is lucky enough to have the best smile. Sometimes, dental problems affect people, and they shy away from social life because they worry about how people will perceive their looks. In terms of appearance, Diagnosis of an Open Bite that pushes people to consult specialists who have bagged enough experience in orthodontist training and education to get the best possible options suitable for them.
An open bite is a major oral health problem that will keep your patients quite conscious about how others look them at all times. When your patient walks into your clinic with this problem, it will mean their teeth are not in the proper alignment, since the upper and the lower sets of teeth do not match properly. Having an open bite gives the appearance of the mouth appearing open, even while it is closed.
For any patient, before considering medical attention, it is best to have a complete analysis of the problem from an experienced orthodontist in the area. This will ensure the best results and proper treatment for jaw-related problems.
The Variations of an Open Bite
As you enroll in Gerety Orthodontic Seminars, you will learn about two variations of the problem. They go by the terms “anterior and posterior” open bites. The anterior bite occurs when the front teeth and lower teeth fail to overlap between the lower and upper incisors. The major causes are because of functional habits like tongue thrusting, thumb sucking and longer term of using pacifiers. On the other hand, the main cause of the posterior bite is when the molars and premolars and their counterparts fail to touch. This will likely occur in segments, where they will be unilateral or open bite related to one or more teeth.
Another common problem that people experience is an incomplete overbite. In this case, the lower teeth do not match with the upper front teeth properly. Your patients should be able to explain the problem and you should inform them about the best care and precautionary measures.
The Causes
The main causes of an open bite relate to bad oral habits. These problems arise simply because of constant pressure or strain on the teeth and poor alignment. The common causes of an open bite include:
Tongue Thrusting
The other term for tongue thrust is reverse swallow or an immature swallow. It is a human behavioral pattern, where the tongue protrudes through the anterior incisors during the speech, swallowing, and while the tongue remains at rest. Most infants also show the symptoms of this problem, because they have a swallowing pattern that involves the protrusion of the tongue. If this condition goes beyond control, it will lead to an open bite problem. Through the right orthodontic continuing education courses, you will learn more about the problem.
Thumb Sucking
This is also a behavioral problem in babies. It involves placing the thumb into the mouth and repeating sucking the thumb for a prolonged duration. For children, it has therapeutic and soothing effects. It eventually becomes a habit in infants and leads to an open bite in the future, as they grow. This is because the teeth may space out more, or have uneven positioning due to the constant tongue thrusting action.
Other causes include:
- Adenoid hypertrophy
- Macroglossia
- Nasal concha hypertrophy
- Airway obstruction
- Nasal concha hypertrophy
- Usage of the pacifier in the long term
The Orthodontic Diagnosis of an Open Bite
The best treatment for this problem depends on the severity of the problem. The best solution you will learn during your study in continuing education is to use braces. As an experienced orthodontist, you will be able to provide the right to help patients recover from the severity of the problem. In many cases, the braces should help to balance out the teeth and get them back to a better position.
You will have to evaluate the severity of the problem and then come up with the best Diagnosis of an Open Bite that based on the assessments. You may also recommend the use of Invisalign. Sometimes, using a headgear could help, and this will enforce a good amount of force on the teeth to push them to the right position. This will ensure the teeth and the jaw also moves back to proper alignment.
For the best treatment options, diagnosis and plan of treatment for the problem, you should consider enrolling in orthodontic continuing education seminars and this should keep you well equipped with the latest changes in the field of dentistry.
