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What You Need to Know About Crossbite

Posted on 8/7/2023 by Janice K. Pliszczak, DDS

Many people in the United States suffer from malocclusion, which is the imperfect positioning of teeth. These include underbite, crossbite, overbite, and open bite.

A crossbite will affect the alignment of your teeth. In crossbite, the upper teeth are wider and they sit behind the lower teeth when the mouth is closed or at rest. A crossbite can affect a single tooth or several teeth. It can also either affect the front or the back teeth.

Causes of Crossbite

There are many reasons you may have a crossbite. Although most times, a crossbite is because of dental or even skeletal problems. Other times, it's because of both dental or skeletal problems.

Tooth decay, bad habits, and genetics can also contribute to a crossbite. Childhood habits such as thumb sucking and pacifiers can also cause a crossbite. Other common causes include missing teeth, cleft lip, baby teeth that cannot fall out, and a small jaw.

Types of Crossbite

There are two major types of crossbite that are the posterior crossbite and the anterior crossbite. Anterior occurs when at least one or several of your upper teeth sit behind your lower front teeth. Posterior crossbite occurs when your upper back teeth sit inside the lower teeth.

Treatment Options for Crossbite

Unfortunately, waiting for a crossbite to straighten out on its own will not work. Therefore, you will need to see a dentist. It is advisable to have a crossbite corrected early on during childhood when the jaw and the face are still growing. However, adults can also have their crossbite corrected. The treatment plan will depend on the cause and severity of the crossbite.

Braces are a great alternative for dealing with crossbites. Braces will put pressure on the bones of the teeth and this will force the teeth to move into position after a while. Dentists also use Invisalign to treat crossbites. Just like braces, they also use force to force the teeth to move into position.

It is important to treat a crossbite. Treatment will not only help enhance your appearance, but it will improve your general oral health. People who have misaligned teeth have a hard time cleaning their teeth and these could lead to other dental health problems.

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"You are put at ease the minute you walk into their new office on Broad Rd. Beautiful and calming surroundings. The staff couldn't be more helpful and are extremely friendly. Dr. Pliszczak is exactly what you want in a Dentist. Always concerned with your comfort, I never feel rushed, and I enjoy here friendly manner. And because of all of their meticulously thorough work, My teeth are as healthy as can be!!! Thank you Dr. Pliszczak, Jade and Nancy" ~Roamy F.