What an open bite is, and what causes it
In most bites the upper front teeth overlap the lower ones slightly when you close. An open bite is the opposite: the front teeth stay apart even when the back teeth are fully together, leaving a gap you can often see and, more to the point, feel. It makes biting into everyday foods awkward, can soften speech sounds like s and th, and understandably knocks some people's confidence in their smile.
Open bites usually come from one of two directions, and sometimes both at once. The first is habit: prolonged thumb or finger sucking, or a tongue that pushes forward against the teeth when swallowing, holds the front teeth apart over time. The second is growth, where the pattern the jaws have grown in leaves the front teeth open. Working out which is driving yours is the whole game, because the right treatment follows directly from the cause. Because an open bite can be dental, skeletal or a mix of both, it is one of the bites where a careful specialist diagnosis really earns its keep.
Treating the cause, not just the gap
When a habit is the driver in a child, the kindest and most effective first step is to help them stop, gently and without shaming. Often the bite then improves on its own as growth continues, which is why we look at thumb and finger habits early rather than waiting for them to pass. Where the teeth or jaws are the cause, braces or clear aligners bring the front teeth back into contact, and clear aligners in particular tend to suit this bite pattern well. Light elastics are sometimes added to help draw the front teeth together.
Dr. Catherine McLeod avoids jaw surgery wherever it is clinically possible, reserving it for the genuinely skeletal cases that truly need it. If another clinic has told you surgery is the only way, a free second opinion is worth having before you decide anything.
What to expect at Embrace Orthodontics
It starts with a free consultation, no referral needed, at our Spring Garden Road practice in Halifax. Dr. Catherine McLeod, a specialist orthodontist rather than a general dentist, examines how your teeth and jaws work together, takes a comfortable iTero digital scan in place of goopy impressions, and explains honestly what is causing the open bite and what can realistically be achieved. You leave with a written plan and an exact quote.
Open bites can be among the more involved bites to correct and to hold, so retention is planned carefully from the start, and Dr. Catherine McLeod will give you a straight, realistic sense of how long treatment is likely to take. Interest-free monthly plans are available so the cost can be spread over the course of your treatment. There is no waitlist, so once you get in touch an appointment is usually only a week or two away.