Tooth Gap

Tooth Gap

Fix your overbite with a Profaligner Aligner in just 3–12 months.

What are crowded teeth?

If there is too little space in the jaw for the teeth or if they are too big or too wide in relation to the jaw, they can overlap. There are many causes of overcrowded teeth. Contrary to what many people think, it’s not the wisdom teeth that are usually responsible for crowding. Growth-related and genetic factors play a considerable role.

About Crowded Teeth

Causes of dental crowding

  • Teeth too big or wide compared to the size of the jaw
  • Narrow jaws
  • Premature loss of baby teeth, with adult teeth growing into the gaps
  • Imbalance between the tongue, cheek and lip muscles

Why correct crowded teeth?

It’s often difficult or impossible to practice good oral hygiene if the teeth are overlapping. It’s also not aesthetically ideal to have crowded teeth, leading many people to feel self-conscious about laughing or smiling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to correct crowded teeth without using braces?
It's necessary to use either orthodontic treatment or dental extractions to correct crowded teeth. In many cases, crowding can be successfully treated with conventional braces or with Aligner treatment. First, space needs to be created between the teeth so that they have room to move into the right position. This is known as slicing, or interproximal enamel reduction (IPR).
Is it possible to correct crowded teeth without slicing or enamel reduction?

Very slight crowding of the front teeth can be corrected to a certain extent without slicing, depending on the patient's situation – for instance via tilting the teeth or slightly expanding the dental arch. Usually these techniques are done in combination with gentle tooth slicing or stripping, however.

Slicing is an alternative to dental extractions. Conventional treatment methods with metal braces often involve the extraction of several teeth to make sufficient room for teeth to move. At Profaligner, this is usually not necessary. We prefer gentle interproximal reduction, which can create the space needed to correct your bite.

The mini-gap created by dental slicing is not visible to the naked eye and will be closed over the course of the Aligner treatment. A fine polishing strip is used to remove a minimal layer of the enamel surface.

Does health insurance cover treatment for crowded teeth?
This depends on the severity of the malocclusion and the terms of your insurance policy. You should contact your insurer directly for more information.

Advantages of Profaligner Aligner:

  • Removable at any time
  • Barely visible and discreet
  • Fast results

Crossbite

Tooth Gap

Fix your overbite with a Profaligner Aligner in just 3–12 months.

What is a crossbite?

A crossbite is a type of malocclusion in which the upper teeth fit inside of the lower teeth, with the lower teeth covering the upper ones. The upper front and back teeth are either positioned too far inward, or the lower teeth are positioned too far outward. This prevents the teeth from closing correctly. A crossbite is one of the most common malocclusions in children and adolescents.

Types of crossbite

Bilateral crossbite

Both sides of the teeth – left and right – are affected and do not clench correctly. Usually this is caused by the upper jaw being too narrow in relation to the lower jaw.

Unilateral crossbite

The teeth are only misaligned on one side. The bite on the other side is correct.

Frequently Asked Questions

What causes a crossbite?
Crossbites usually arise because of a muscular imbalance around the oral cavity. The tongue doesn't support the growth of the upper jaw, which impedes growth. Sometimes crossbites can be genetic in nature, for instance when the lower jaw grows too much in relation to the upper jaw. Accidents or bad habits such as extended thumb sucking can also contribute to the development of a crossbite.
Why correct a crossbite?
It makes sense from a medical perspective to correct some cases of misaligned teeth, crossbites included. In fact, crossbites almost always require treatment. Not doing so can have psychological, aesthetic and health consequences. In many cases, crossbites can already be treated in children with baby teeth.
What happens if you don't correct a crossbite?
If children or adolescents with a crossbite don't receive treatment, the development of their upper jaw may be impaired. This can lead to disproportionate facial proportions and psychological problems. The function of the bite will also be impaired. If a crossbite first arises once the patient is an adult, which is rather uncommon, issues such as chewing problems, tension, headaches and backaches can occur.
How can a crossbite be corrected?
Conventional wire braces or transparent braces can often treat a crossbite successfully. In some cases, orthodontic treatment is insufficient and an additional operation will be necessary. A surgical intervention to expand the jaw is advised particularly in cases where facial symmetry has been impacted by a crossbite. A purely orthodontic treatment would only treat the symptoms but not the root cause.
Does health insurance cover the costs of crossbite treatment?
This depends on the severity of the malocclusion. The best thing to do is to contact your health insurance company directly to find out if they cover the costs of correcting your crossbite.

Advantages of Profaligner Aligner:

  • Removable at any time
  • Barely visible and discreet
  • Fast results

Openbite

Openbite

Correct your open bite now with transparent braces in just 3 to 12 months.

What is an open bite?

An open bite is one of the most common malocclusions. The incisors don’t clench together properly, creating an overly large and visible gap between the lower and upper jaw. Even when the canine teeth are firmly clenched, a visible gap remains between the two rows of teeth.

Causes of an open bite

Bad habits

A frontal open bite usually develops in childhood as a result of extensive thumb sucking, tongue pressing or pacifier use. Tongue malfunctions can also cause an open bite around the front teeth or incisors.

Skeletal open bite

The skeletal open bite – also called a lateral open bite – is often genetic. The adult teeth have too little space in the posterior tooth region. In this case, often only the molars are touching. Misaligned jaws or altered jaw development can also lead to having an open bite.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of problems can an open bite cause?

An open bite can negatively impact the entire bite. It can encourage the development of a cross bite and can arise in tandem with other bite problems such as an overbite.

An open bite that arises in childhood is accompanied by stunted upper jaw growth. As a result, the base of the nose is too narrow and impairs breathing. Breathing through the mouth can cause additional health problems, which is why it is usually recommended to correct an open bite in childhood.

How can an open bite be corrected?

There are different orthodontic methods and devices that can be used to correct an open bite. If treated in childhood, the usual method involves conventional braces or vestibular plates.

If treated in adulthood, there are alternatives to conventional fixed braces. Removable Aligners are discreet but can only make slight corrections to an open bite. Your individual situation will determine which orthodontic treatment is best for you. Our expert dentists will be happy to advise you.

Is it possible to correct an open bite without braces?
No. Orthodontic treatment is needed to fix an open bite. It might be necessary to use other treatment methods as well. In many cases, we recommend speech therapy to correct any speech impairments that may have developed over the years. If the malocclusion is severe, a surgical procedure may be required.
Does health insurance cover treatment for an open bite?
This depends on the severity of the malocclusion. The best thing to do is to contact your health insurance company directly to find out if they cover the costs of correcting an open bite.
When should I start treating an open bite?

If an open bite causes functional and aesthetic problems, it should be corrected. Otherwise, patients can suffer from speech impairments, chewing problems and low self-esteem.

When to start with an open bite treatment depends on the severity of the malocclusion and the patient's age. If the malocclusion is detected early on, it is recommended to carry out the dental and jaw correction in childhood. Various orthodontic methods can be used to correct an open bite in adolescents as well, or even in adults where the problem arises later. The Profaligner dental team will be happy to advise you.

Advantages of Profaligner Aligner:

  • Removable at any time
  • Barely visible and discreet
  • Fast results

Crowding

Tooth Gap

Fix your overbite with a Profaligner Aligner in just 3–12 months.

What are crowded teeth?

If there is too little space in the jaw for the teeth or if they are too big or too wide in relation to the jaw, they can overlap. There are many causes of overcrowded teeth. Contrary to what many people think, it’s not the wisdom teeth that are usually responsible for crowding. Growth-related and genetic factors play a considerable role.

About Crowded Teeth

Causes of dental crowding

  • Teeth too big or wide compared to the size of the jaw
  • Narrow jaws
  • Premature loss of baby teeth, with adult teeth growing into the gaps
  • Imbalance between the tongue, cheek and lip muscles

Why correct crowded teeth?

It’s often difficult or impossible to practice good oral hygiene if the teeth are overlapping. It’s also not aesthetically ideal to have crowded teeth, leading many people to feel self-conscious about laughing or smiling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to correct crowded teeth without using braces?
It's necessary to use either orthodontic treatment or dental extractions to correct crowded teeth. In many cases, crowding can be successfully treated with conventional braces or with Aligner treatment. First, space needs to be created between the teeth so that they have room to move into the right position. This is known as slicing, or interproximal enamel reduction (IPR).
Is it possible to correct crowded teeth without slicing or enamel reduction?

Very slight crowding of the front teeth can be corrected to a certain extent without slicing, depending on the patient's situation – for instance via tilting the teeth or slightly expanding the dental arch. Usually these techniques are done in combination with gentle tooth slicing or stripping, however.

Slicing is an alternative to dental extractions. Conventional treatment methods with metal braces often involve the extraction of several teeth to make sufficient room for teeth to move. At Profaligner, this is usually not necessary. We prefer gentle interproximal reduction, which can create the space needed to correct your bite.

The mini-gap created by dental slicing is not visible to the naked eye and will be closed over the course of the Aligner treatment. A fine polishing strip is used to remove a minimal layer of the enamel surface.

Does health insurance cover treatment for crowded teeth?
This depends on the severity of the malocclusion and the terms of your insurance policy. You should contact your insurer directly for more information.

Advantages of Profaligner Aligner:

  • Removable at any time
  • Barely visible and discreet
  • Fast results

Overbite

Tooth Gap

Fix your overbite with a bestsmile Aligner in just 3–12 months.

What is an Overbite:

An overbite means that the upper and lower jaws are not aligned properly. The lower jaw is too small or the upper jaw is too big, and the upper teeth are too far forward or the lower teeth are too far back, meaning that there is too much distance between the upper and lower incisors. The causes can be genetic or developmental in nature. But in almost all people, the upper row of teeth minimally overlaps the lower row. And only if the position of the teeth deviates too much from this norm, it is referred to as overbite in medicine. A distinction is made between the horizontal misalignment (overjet) and the vertical misalignment (overbite).

Types of Overbites

Deep Bite

The upper incisors reach too far down and form a severe overlap with the lower ones, leading to possible injuries in gum tissue.

Closed bite

The upper incisors cover the lower ones and are also tilted.

Prognathism/Underbite

In other words, a reverse overbite. The lower incisors are positioned in front of the upper incisors.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an overjet and an overbite?

Overjet: horizontal overbite

The overjet describes the horizontal distance between the upper and lower incisors. In a horizontal overbite, the upper jaw is too large compared to the lower jaw and protrudes significantly. Accordingly, the upper incisors protrude too far forward, creating a large gap between them and the lower teeth.

Ideally, this distance should be only 1–2 mm. When we talk about “overbite”, most people imagine a positive overjet – a malocclusion where the upper teeth protrude forward. This can have skeletal or dental causes and can be either a jaw or a tooth misalignment. In a negative overjet, the lower teeth protrude and the upper teeth are further back, creating a so-called prognathism.

Overbite: vertical misalignment

Contrary to the overjet, the overbite describes the vertical position of the teeth in relation to each other. Normally, the protrusion is 2–3 mm and the upper teeth are in front of the lower teeth. However, if the upper front teeth completely cover the lower teeth, this is referred to as deep bite. If, on the other hand, the upper teeth are covered by the lower teeth, it is called prognathism.

How does overbite correction work?

Treatment with braces is the most common and proven method of correcting an overbite. In many cases, an overbite can be corrected in prepubescent children whose jaws are still growing. Adults can also have their overbites corrected. Conventional braces with brackets are the classic treatment option in orthodontics, but transparent aligners are also growing in popularity.

Is it possible to fix an overbite without using braces?

No. It's always necessary to use orthodontic or medical interventions of some kind in order to treat an overbite. It cannot be corrected naturally. In many cases, overbites can be successfully treated with convention braces or invisible aligner trays. For some patients, however, correcting the teeth is not enough, and a surgical procedure would be required to place the jaws in the right position.

When is an operation necessary to correct an overbite?

A purely orthodontic approach with braces may not be sufficient depending on the degree of malocclusion. If the jaws are too misaligned, it is advisable to combine the dental correction with jaw surgery in order to achieve the best possible result.

Does health insurance cover the costs of overbite treatment?

This depends on the severity of the overbite. The best thing to do is to contact your health insurance directly to find out if they cover the costs of fixing your overbite.

Advantages of Profaligner Aligner:

  • Removable at any time
  • Barely visible and discreet
  • Fast results