Affordable open bite treatment Melbourne

What is an Open bite?

Open bite is a type of malocclusion (or imperfect bite) where the upper and lower teeth don’t overlap each other. The anterior (front) teeth can slant outwards, not allowing the teeth to touch when the patient bites, leaving an opening.

In an ideal bite, the teeth overlap making it easy to chew and speak.

What are the problems associated with an open bite?

Patients with open bite may experience several associated issues, including:

difficulty in biting and chewing
difficulty in speaking clearly, particularly in pronouncing sounds that involve the front teeth (S, C, Z, sh), so they may speak with a lisp
tooth or jaw pain, because the posterior teeth (back teeth) may closed together more tightly or heavily
self-consciousness about the appearance of their teeth

What causes an open bite?

There are several causes of open bite:

the use of a dummy, thumb sucking or finger sucking – this prevents the front teeth from overlapping over each other
tongue thrusting – posturing of the tongue between the front teeth
inheritance – other family members may also have jaws that tend to grow apart rather than parallel to each other
temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ disorder) – TMJs are the joints that connect your skull and jaw. They allow the jaw to move to enable talking, eating and facial expressions. If the patient has TMJ disorder, they can experience pain or difficulty in moving their jaw.

How can open bite be corrected?

Early assessment and intervention of open bite is critical to the overall success of the treatment. If your child has an open bite, an orthodontic assessment is recommended at about 7 years old. However, while this may be more simple and less painful to treat in young children who still have their baby teeth, treatment is still successful when the adult teeth have fully grown.

Correction of this condition generally requires influencing facial growth to bring the upper and lower jaws and teeth into proper alignment. There are several treatment possibilities, which will be discussed with you at your free initial consultation. Treatment options include:

Changing the behaviour of the patient; for example - stopping the thumb sucking or tongue thrusting
Braces (including traditional “metal braces’ or clear braces like Invisalign’)
Orthodontic headgear, to guide the jaws into position
A roller appliance, that helps alleviate tongue thrust
Orthognathic surgery (jaw surgery) to reposition the jaw.

How Smile Avenue Specialist Orthodontists can help you

Free consultation

At Smile Avenue Orthodontics, the first consultation is free for every new patient. This gives you the opportunity to talk with our doctors about your problem and to ask any questions you may have. Our doctors are experienced in many different types of treatment and will outline a suggested treatment plan for you.

Experience and research in orthodontics

We use evidence-based methods, to ensure that we get the best outcome for you and your smile. This sets us apart from other orthodontic practices and means that we base all of our work on sound research and years of experience, not fads or experiments. Our treating orthodontists have written numerous research publications in the field of complex orthodontics, which their work has been published in leading journals. Please click here to browse through our extensive body of research work.

Interest free payment plan

We offer affordable, no deposit and interest-free, low deposit flexible payment plans to all patients. We also offer group discounts for families with more than one patient requiring treatment.

Free 3D scan

Our practice has the most up to date digital scanner technology, that allows us to show you the results before treatment commences. We take a digital scan of your teeth and show you how your teeth will look at stages throughout your treatment and at the conclusion of your treatment. Patients find it comforting to see their treatment results before even starting out the treatment.

Gap Free or Bulkbill X-rays

Our practice has digital x-rays opg and latceph machine allowing us to take your digital X-rays for diagnosis purposes. If you have any dental cover your X-rays are no gap with no out of pocket cost and if you don’t have private cove we can refer you to a Medicare bulk bill center for your X-rays.

FAQs

Will giving my baby a dummy harm their teeth?

Giving a baby a dummy for the first few years doesn’t necessarily cause problems, however, persistent dummy sucking into school going age may lead to front teeth not closing together forming an open bite. This means that the front teeth slant outward, leaving a gap. In very young children, the problem may correct itself once the child stops sucking the dummy.

Will thumb sucking give harm to my child’s teeth?

Persistent thumb sucking until school age often leads to an open bite in the front teeth. This is where the front teeth slant outward, leaving a gap. If your child has an open bite, it is recommended that you seek an orthodontic assessment when the child is about 7. This will enable the specialist to discuss a plan which may include behavioral change and orthodontic treatment.

Is a lisp due to an open bite?

An open bite could be the cause of your child’s lisp, but not all children who lisp have an open bite. An open bite often contributes to difficulty in pronouncing sounds that involve the front teeth, such as s, c, sh and ch.

Will my child need surgery to correct an open bite?

Surgery is one of the options available for the treatment of a severe open bite where there is a jaw problem. However, open bites due to a habit like a thumb sucking can be closed by just stopping the habit. A dental or teeth related open bite can also be fixed using only braces or clear braces like Invisalign not requiring surgical correction.

What are the treatment costs?

For information regarding costs, please click here.

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