Overbites/open bites

[travelbug]

Hi all,

I have an open bite. To treat it, my ortho is going to extract four molars (2 on top, 2 on the bottom), and my braces are supposed to pull my front teeth back so that my bite lines up correctly.

My question is this: In undergoing this kind of treatment, my mouth is obviously going to get smaller. Could my tongue end up being too big for my mouth?

Anyone that has undergone treatment on overbites or open bites (especially, if you've had extractions), can you help?!?!?

[DanceDiva]

Awe, don't sweat it...your tongue woun't be too big for your mouth. I had and openbite and overbite as well. I did not have extractions, but my whole mouth has changed a ton! I think you'll find that your entire mouth, will see a lot of movement and your tongue will just fall into place.

Good Luck!!!

[joney]

Hi travelbug, I have an openbite / overjet and had two recent extractions and one extraction as a teenager. I can understand your concern. LOL I wondered about tongue space too. However I think that my current crowding will be compensated with more evenly spaced teeth and a wider arch. At least I hope so. Otherwise we'll be in trouble!

Regards
Joney

[loulou123]

Hi there

Ive got an overbite and an openbite and im nine months in to braces now. Tho i dont have to have any extractions-lucky me!

I can promise you that i have noticed no differnece in my tongue at all, in fact its been the only piece of my mouth i havent given much consideration to in the last 9 months.

Can understand your worries but im sure when the time comes itll all be fine.

Hope that helps

[joney]

One thing puzzling me is how you can have an overbite and an openbite unless your openbite is at the side / back? From what I understand overbite is when the top front teeth cover the bottom front teeth too much and openbite (at the front) means that the front teeth don't meet. In my case, with my openbite, I can stick my tongue through my front teeth when my back teeth are pressed together.

[loulou123]

Hi joney

In answer to your question an overbite is when your front teeth are to far forwards, so the alignment is all off and the teeth are malocluded. My front teeth for example are nowhere near meeting each other (open bite) but even if they did there would be a considerable gap between the back of my top teeth and the front of my lower teeth (the overbite)

Hope this explains it for you

[joney]

Hi loulou123

I think you may be confusing overbite and overjet. I have an overjet and my front teeth stick too far forward. I also have an openbite because my front teeth top and bottom don't meet.

My daughter has an overbite which is the opposite to my openbite. Her top teeth cover her bottom teeth too much. In fact when she started her treatment her bottom teeth would hit the roof of her mouth at the back of her front top teeth. Thankfully with a bite plate this has been sorted out.

In ortodontic terms therefore I think overjet and underbite are opposites and openbite and overbite are opposites.

The best I could find quickly on the net is http://www.spaceshipdentist.com/orthodontics/bites.html

Regards
Joney

[jmrut22]

I have an open bite and overjet and had 4 teeth pulled top and bottom. I couldnt be happier. I wont lie I think I will miss my wide smile, because it did narrow it some, but the trade off will be nice straight teeth and jaws. I will see if I can find a pic tomorrow of before and after. I am still only 9 months into treatment but I swear when I looked at my before picture I almost threw up (my teeth were so whacked with the open bite). Since wearing elastics the arch opened up some to so now the corners of my mouth dont seem to sink in-they did for a while when the teeth were first pulled- I guess there was nothing there to hold the lips in place but that is all straighted out now. The trade off of the wide smile will be worth it. You can only do so much with what god gives us