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I'm uncertain regarding a recent trip to my tooth doctor. He took a quick glance and decided that I have "overbite." I'm not sure what this means. My lower teeth do not touch the upper gum. Looking in the mirror, I see that they are roughly 60% covering the lower teeth.
Does anyone have any knowledge in these field? Advice is appreciated, the quicker the better, for I need to make a decision soon. Thanks!
Posts: 3060 | Registered: Nov 2003
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I thought this was going to be a thread about The Venture Bothers. I was about to correct you that it's "Underbite" that has the steel jaw. Posts: 903 | Registered: May 2003
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Malocclusion needs to be corrected if possible, or it can lead to jaw trouble and uneven wear on tooth surfaces, which can lead you prone to infection, and therefore cavities.
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My daughter has a cross-bite, which is apparently REALLY bad. We interpret this to mean REALLY expensive.
My brother had a terrible overbite as a kid(we called it buck teeth in those days) and he sucked his thumb, which did not add to his pre-teen popularity. He got braces and now he is abut as handsome as can be, but it cost a pretty penny.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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BookWyrm: Ow! You must be in constant discomfort! I hope the procedure works, and the dentures fit right.
Incidentally, my brother does not still suck his thumb, but he continued for some time. I think he was in seventh grade when he stopped. He is my stepbrother, and had had a horrid life with his own father.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Huh, I guess I have an overbite, too. When I close my jaw tightly, my upper teeth cover about 2/3 of my lower teeth. It feels right to me, though.
Posts: 1681 | Registered: Jun 2004
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An orthodontist can give you a better idea of what it looks like inside your mouth, especially if you get castings done (the first step in starting orthodontic treatment). When someone says "overbite" I start thinking the poor kid probably looks a bit like a horse. But no, when my son started ortho treatment last year, they said he had an overbite. You can't see it though, really...it's only obvious when you look at the castings.
He just got his upper braced put on yesterday. The lower went on this summer. He's well on his way to perfect teeth, and at this point, he'll be done far before he finishes middle school. Treatment so far has included a lip bumper on his lower teeth to expand out his lower jaw enough to make room for too many teeth; an expander on his upper jaw to do the same. The expander came off, and he had about 8 months in headgear at night. Meanwhile, the lip bumper came out, and braces were put on. He got to pick his school colors for the clips. For his upper ones, he picked Christmas colors. He's a festive kid.
So far, his ortho experience has been pretty mild and easy. I'm sorry I didn't do it when I was his age.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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If it hasn't been botherin' you, "overbite" means that your dentist is messin' with your mind to pad his bank account with your money.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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I sucked my thumb until junior high. Parents tried everything they could think of to get me to stop, the only thing that worked was the braces nighttime headgear because I couldn't get my thumb close enough anymore LOL.
My teeth were bad enough where I could insert my thumb vertically and with my nail 90 degrees from my teeth and still have wiggle room. I don't know how far my uppers covered my lowers.
Three years of very painful braces and two broken teeth and I still have an overbite but not as bad as it once was. The orthodontist apparently decided that this was as good as it was going to get. Ah well.
Oh, and in the next 2-3 years I get to start paying for torture devices for my 11 year old.... ugh.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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