The cause of most of the orthodontic problems listed below and shown in the video is genetic. Common inherited problems include teeth that are too crowded, having too much space between your teeth or missing teeth, or a variety of other issues with the face, teeth or jaws.
Some orthodontic problems can be caused by something other than genetics, such as having an accident involving the mouth. In some cases, thumb or pacifier sucking may cause issues, as may premature loss of baby or adult teeth. Tooth problems may also be caused by airway obstruction or dental disease.
Issues like these can affect not only how your teeth are aligned, but also how your face develops and appears.
CROSSBITE: When biting down, if the upper teeth rest inside the lower teeth (toward the tongue), this is called a crossbite. Since crossbites often cause biting and chewing difficulties, these kinds of problems are often detected and corrected early.
CROWDING: If you have a particularly small dental arch or large teeth, teeth may end up being poorly aligned. When teeth become severely crowded, the bone and gums over the teeth may recede and become thin. Crowding can lead to impacted teeth, i.e. teeth have not come in properly, poor biting and less-than-desirable appearance.
DEEP BITE: A deep bite, also known as a deep overbite, happens when your lower front teeth (incisors) bite too close to your upper teeth or into the gums. This can cause discomfort, wear of your incisors and even damage to the bone behind your upper teeth.
OPEN BITE: An open bite results if when biting down the upper teeth and lower teeth (incisors) do not touch. When this happens, chewing puts all the pressure on the back teeth. This can make chewing less efficient and the back teeth rubbing together may cause significant tooth wear.
OVERJET OR PROTRUDING UPPER TEETH: When your upper teeth stick out too far forward from the lower front teeth, they are prone to injury and cause problems with biting of your back teeth (molars). They may also indicate an unevenness in jaw growth, when the lower jaw is shorter when compared to the upper jaw. Habits such as finger or thumb sucking can also cause the upper incisor teeth to protrude further than normal.
SPACING: Space between teeth can occur if you have missing teeth or small teeth, or if your dental arch is particularly wide. Excessive space most often results in complaints of poor appearance.
UNDERBITE OR PROTRUDING LOWER JAW: Approximately 3-5% of all people have a lower jaw that is longer than the upper jaw to some extent. This can result in a crossbite, when the lower incisors protrude in the front of the upper front teeth. These patients need careful monitoring of how the jaw and teeth develop.