Types of malocclusion

Malocclusion means all kinds of possible deviations from ideal occlusion. It manifests itself with a misalignment of the teeth in the dental arch, delayed teething, having supernumerary or missing teeth as well as having teeth of abnormal size or shape.

Malocclusion does not only affect your appearance, but also has an impact on the oral cavity functions. In effect, you might suffer from breathing, chewing, swallowing or even speech disorders. Overbite, underbite and crossbite are the most common kinds of malocclusion.

Overbite
An overbite is a type of malocclusion which means an inappropriate relation between the upper and lower dental arch. The lower dental arch is far behind the upper arch. The upper front teeth overlap the lower teeth and the lower incisors are behind the upper incisors. This kind of malocclusion affects also our facial profile as it is marked by a deeper mentolabial fold and a sticking out upper lip.

Crossbite
A crossbite is a misalignment of the dental arches. In this type of malocclusion the lower teeth have a more buccal position in relation to the upper teeth. Moreover, an abnormal relation of the incisors is noticeable and causes visible facial asymmetry.

Underbite
An underbite is characterized by the protruding lower dental arch in relation to the upper arch. The lower front teeth noticeably overlap the upper front teeth. This kind of malocclusion affects facial profile as the lower lip sticks out and the mentolabial fold is smooth.

Open bite
Another type of malocclusion is an open bite. It occurs when the upper and lower teeth do not touch each other. This type of malocclusion may occur both in the front and back part of the dental arch. The malocclusion is also marked by an unproportionally longer lower face.

Deep bite
In this condition the upper incisors significantly (deeply) overlap the lower incisors. We speak of a deep bite when the overbite exceeds 2-3 mm.

Crowding of teeth
This is a type of malocclusion which means a disproportion between the available and needed space for a tooth. In effect the teeth can erupt in the lingual position, canine teeth can stick out of the dental arch and the incisor teeth can be rotated, or it might turn out that there is not enough space for the teeth.

Too much space between the teeth.
In contrast to teeth crowding, this malocclusion means a disproportion between the size of the jaw/mandible and the teeth. The jaw is too big and the teeth cannot fill all of the space. In effect, there are extra gaps between the teeth.