Common Issues
The Class II is one of the most common types of malocclusion. Usually narrow and tapered with crowding of various degrees in the front and sometimes in the back, the upper teeth always stick out over the lower teeth. It is often corrected best with braces, rapid palatal expansion and lots of good rubber band cooperation.
In many ways a Class III bite is the opposite of the Class II problem. The lower teeth rest in front of the upper teeth. It is often skeletal in nature requiring surgery to correct, it is part of a hereditary growth problem often seen throughout multiple members of a family. This type of malocclusion has a functional component where the jaw slides forward into a Class III bite and can be treated with braces and rubber bands.
We see this good old “garden variety” crowding in amost every patient that we meet-very often with Class II bites and sometimes with Class III bites. We solve is very well with braces, lots of palatal expansion and good rubber band wear. It is all about making space to correct the problem, and the rapid palatal expander is the “best” at making space. Sometimes if the crowding is too great we may have to remove permanent teeth to make space, but not often.
Spacing seems easy sometimes after you correct a lot of crowding.; Spacing can range from just a little to quite a lot, and it can appear along with crowding or all by itself. Spacing is often a hereditary or family problem, and frequently related to a tongue thrust. Both are the hard to correct and keep corrected. Spacing is corrected with braces and lots of rubber band wear, but the careful wear of a special retainer is usually the most important part of the treatment.
The open bite is a special type of problem. It can be in the back, but is more often in the front of the mouth. The open bite can be a structural and skeletal in origin, but there is almost always a problem with tongue thrusting, resting of the tongue in the openbite and even tongue sucking. Of course, open bites can come from thumb sucking and other similar habits. The solution is braces, rubber bands and lots of good retention.
The deep bite is about the opposite of the open bite. This is a situation where the upper teeth come so far down over the lower teeth that they somtimes cannot be seen. It can be so deep that the teeth bite into the roof of the mouth. As with this picture, there is often a tilting backwards of the upper teeth. The solution is braces, additions called “turbos”, attachments to tilt the teeth forward instead of backward and rubber bands.
