Malocclusions can really ruin the looks of your smile. It does not matter how perfect the lengths of your teeth are or that you have brilliantly white teeth; if you have overlapping teeth then it ruins the entire aesthetics of your smile. But why do bad bites develop, and is there anything you can do about them?
Reasons for Having Bad Bites
There are a number of reasons for why teeth erupt in the wrong positions. Most of these reasons go back to when you were still a child and only had your milk teeth. Fortunately in Atlanta bite adjustments are available.
Thumb Sucking
Babies and toddlers often thumb suck as a way for them to manage any discomfort or pain that they would otherwise especially when they have begun teething. However, this habit can be carried well into childhood, when the permanent teeth have already begun grown out. The problem with this is that the finger would then be pushing the teeth outside, leading to the development of an open bite, wherein the upper and lower teeth are not able to meet when one bites down.
For parents who have noticed their children thumb sucking more frequently, this does not have to be a a problem for as long as your child stops before the permanent teeth start to grow in. If so, your child’s bite will correct itself by the time the permanent teeth start to come in. You can try talking to your child about the problem. Most children thumb suck without really being aware of it, so it may help to remind your child about stopping every time you catch him or her doing so.
Losing Teeth Too Early
Some children will begin to lose their milk teeth when they are aged five to six years old. This is in preparation for the permanent teeth which would soon occupy their places. However, there are some children who lose their milk teeth very early on. The problem with this is that the underlying permanent teeth has not yet fully developed, hence cannot take the place of the lost tooth just yet.
When this happens, your child would have an unfilled space which adjacent teeth can slowly drift into. This becomes a problem because milk teeth serve as placeholders for their corresponding permanent teeth. When they begin to shift location, the permanent teeth which erupts after them will come into a different location shuffling the proper positioning of teeth.
