Have A Cross Bite? Know How To Correct It With Braces
Posted on: 31 August 2016
Are your teeth misaligned and causing you to hide your smile or making it difficult for you to chew food? It may be from you having a crossbite. Thankfully, this is a problem that can be fixed by a dentist. Once they find out if you have an anterior or posterior crossbite, they can take the proper steps to fix it once and for all.
What Are Anterior And Posterior Crossbites?
A crossbite will cause your teeth to be misaligned, either in the rear of your mouth or in the front teeth. When the misalignment is in the rear of the mouth, it is considered a posterior crossbite. It commonly causes problems chewing food because the teeth don't properly connect when biting down. This is the worse of the two forms of crossbite, but can still be corrected.
An anterior crossbite is a more mild condition but is less aesthetically pleasing. This is because the crossbite affects the look of your front teeth. A severe consequence of ignoring an anterior crossbite is that your teeth can potentially fall out by becoming loose. The enamel on the teeth can also slowly chip away because of how the teeth touch when you eat.
How Do Braces Correct Crossbites?
Braces can do much more than close the small gaps between your teeth. They can also move your teeth into the right positions to correct a crossbite. For severe crossbites, this is done with a series of metal wires and brackets that will slowly move your teeth over time until they are in the desired position.
People that have small crossbites can use different types of braces to correct the problem. Adults will often use Invisalign to achieve similar results. Unfortunately this treatment cannot be used to correct a more serious crossbite problem.
How Do You Prevent The Crossbite From Coming Back
While someone may naturally have a crossbite, it can also form due to bad habits. For small children, this includes sucking on their thumbs. It is important to not fall back on whatever habit it was that originally caused the crossbite. If so, it could undo all of the dental work that was used to correct the problem.
For more information on crossbites, speak to your dentist. They can give you a professional diagnosis, find out what type of crossbite you have, and recommend a treatment plan that will work best for you.
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