Perhaps you’ve heard your dentist refer to an overjet or overbite in the past and wondered what he or she was talking about. You might be surprised to find out that overjet and overbite are used interchangeably in dental circles, even though they describe two different types of jaw misalignment. If you want to know the difference between an overjet vs overbite , here’s what you need to know!
An Overview
As orthodontists, we encounter many patients who come to us with concerns about how much their teeth overlap. When examining these cases, it is important to remember that there are two terms which describe what we are talking about. An overbite is defined as more than normal exposure of one tooth above another on a person’s upper jaw. An overjet is defined as more than normal exposure of one tooth below another on a person’s lower jaw. While these conditions can sometimes be associated with each other, they can also exist independently or together, which leads us to our next question
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Overjet
Here are five quick things you may not have known about overjet.
1. An overjet can be as much as 2 to 3mm greater than your bite.
2. Having too much overjet can lead to crowding of teeth, gum recession and make proper orthodontic treatment more difficult.
3. Overjets that grow in when patients are under 18 years old are considered normal, whereas adult-onset overjets indicate malocclusion (bad bite).
4. More overjet means a reduced risk for temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ), which often stem from lower jaw problems associated with forward bites.
5. No one knows what causes overjets or how they develop, but evidence suggests it is more likely genetic than environmental factors.
For example, studies show firstborn children tend to develop larger jaws later in life and there appears to be a familial connection between severe cases of overjet/underbite and TMJ disorders. Moreover, identical twins often share similar jaw alignment; however, there is no scientific consensus on whether genetics alone cause facial changes or if there could also be environmental factors at play such as developmental trauma while in utero or infant feeding habits.
Teeth Impacted by a Large Overjet
Large overjets aren’t quite as common as large overbites, but they do occur. In fact, even if you have a small to medium-sized overjet. There’s a chance that your orthodontist will recommend that you consider wearing a palatal expander during your treatment process. Platesetters are basically devices that use pressure to push against your upper jawbone. The platesetter is affixed to your top front teeth by elastic bands, which can exert up to 18 pounds of force on each tooth. As you might expect, pressure like that isn’t exactly comfortable! Fortunately, it only needs to be worn for 20 minutes or so at a time.
If you wear it every day—as recommended—your overjet should improve enough within six months or so that you no longer need it. Even then, though, be prepared to wear it periodically throughout your orthodontic treatment for maintenance purposes until your overjet has been reduced sufficiently.
The root causes of most cases of overjet are still unknown: Like its opposite number (the large underbite). Overjet usually develops before age 7. Generally speaking, dental researchers believe that either genetics or trauma may play a role in causing many people’s basic bite structures not match their intended anatomy at birth.
Real Cases of Large Overjets
Large overjets can happen as a result of several factors. Malocclusion is typically caused by one or more improper bites, but it can also be caused by health conditions such as Apert syndrome, Crouzon syndrome, neurofibromatosis type 1, or Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome. The other main cause of large overjets is abnormal development in utero. Some babies are simply born with abnormally large jaws that do not grow proportionately to their other facial features. Thereby causing problems with chewing and speech later on in life. In addition to these causes. Trauma such as jaw fractures have been known to cause overjets. Individuals with jaw fractures often experience significant malocclusion due to shifting teeth and bite misalignment.
And those who undergo corrective surgery for severe jaw damage may sometimes end up with an overjet. If successful healing doesn’t occur. In short, there are many factors that could lead to a larger than normal overjet when looking at every possible instance. One thing most experts agree on, however, is that genetics play some part in its development. If your parents had larger than normal dental arches then you may very well inherit. This trait from them as well . . . Assuming you haven’t undergone orthodontic treatments yourself!
Prevalence of Large Overjets in the US
According to recent studies, a full overjet is present in 50 percent of U.S. adults. Making it one of the most common orthodontic issues today. The larger your overjet, however, has very little to do with genetics. And everything to do with how often you grind your teeth or clench your jaw. Large overjets aren’t usually a problem until after age 35, when muscle growth starts to slow down considerably and. Parafunctional habits take hold for good. Once that happens, you need professional care; untreated overjets lead to tooth wear and pain caused by premature contact between upper teeth.