When your mouth is closed, how your teeth come together is your bite, or “occlusion.” Many people don’t have a perfect occlusion. With normal teeth articulation, the upper teeth cover the bottom teeth. However, it’s common for people’s bites to have variances: some are minor, but others can be more extreme. A crossbite occurs when the lower teeth cover the upper teeth, the reverse of a “normal” occlusion. An overbite is how much the upper teeth cover the lower teeth, and overjet, or how far the upper teeth come out over the bottom teeth. The normal range for overjet is between 1-2 mm and for overbite is 30% .
If you suspect you have less than perfect alignment between your upper and lower teeth- perhaps you experience some discomfort when chewing, headaches, or simply see that your teeth aren’t meeting each other properly- please consult your dentist. Having a normal occlusion is important for keeping your teeth healthy and protecting your jaw. If you have a deep bite, open bite, overbite, severe overjet or a crossbite, these are all treatable by your dental care physician.
