Do you have an underbite? An overbite? Does a misalignment of your teeth cause you headaches or jaw pain? The answers to these questions lies in a professional bite evaluation, typically provided during a checkup exam by your Livonia family dentist.
Underbites can also be caused by a number of habits or health problems. For example, children with allergies are often congested, leading to mouth-breathing and pushing against the lower teeth with the tongue. Like other bite problems, those with an underbite can experience TMJ and dental problems.
An overbite, also called “malocclusion,” is the term for upper teeth that extend beyond the bottom teeth. When you bite down, can you still see your bottom teeth? If not, or even if only barely, then you have an overbite. Overbites can be caused by late thumb-sucking or other childhood oral fixations, or they can simply be hereditary.
Ask us during your next quarterly checkup exam for a bite evaluation, especially if you’ve been experiencing headaches, sinus pain or jaw pain. We can quickly determine whether your alignment could be to blame and if so, how to start correcting the problem.
