Open Bite Before and After

For a standard bite, the top teeth contact and slightly overlap the bottom teeth all the way around the mouth. In an open bite, there is a space between the upper and lower front teeth and they do not overlap. Because the front teeth don’t touch, it can put extra pressure on the teeth that do make contact, leading to problems now and later in life. 

Open bites can manifest in two main ways:

• Anterior (Front) open bite: This is where your front teeth do not meet and is the most common and noticeable form of open bite. Anterior open bites can include just two teeth not contacting or several teeth not touching. 
• Posterior (Back) open bite: Posterior open bites aren’t usually visible when a person smiles, so they might go unnoticed for longer, but this form of open bite can cause many other problems and still needs to be corrected. Like anterior open bites, posterior open bites can involve very few teeth in contact.

Open bites can cause issues beyond your smile’s appearance. If your teeth don’t touch correctly, it can cause problems with eating, chewing, talking, or tooth trauma for the other teeth in your mouth that make contact. For open bites, consulting an orthodontist can help you decide how and when to start treatment.

Beverly Hills Orthodontics (BHO) has corrected numerous open bite cases across Los Angeles since we began operations in 2008. Dr. Monica Madan and the BHO team use the most up-to-date and cutting-edge treatments like Invisalign, braces, and other measures to eliminate open bites and provide patients with flawless smiles.