Class I – A malocclusion where the bite is okay and the top teeth line up with the bottom teeth, but the teeth are crooked, crowded or turned.

Causes of Misaligned Bites

• Gingivitis
• Facial injury
• Improper fit of crowns or fillings
• Prolonged baby bottle or pacifier use
• Early loss of adult or baby teeth
• In some cases, an individual can be born with a large lower jaw and a small upper jaw or vice versa. One can inherit these traits similar to how a person can inherit the color of his or her eyes.

Problems that can be caused by misaligned bites

Misaligned bites can cause lots of problems. They can increase the risk of gum disease and cavities, make it hard to chew as well as cause broken and crooked teeth. If it is left untreated, development problems can result in sinus congestion, ear, facial, neck and jaw pain and headaches. In case you have an under bite or over bite, it is best to have it treated immediately by an orthodontist.

Usually, misaligned bites will get worse as an individual gets older that can make the teeth more crowded than before. Thus, it is best to start taking your child to a dentist when his or her teeth start to fall out and sometimes, even earlier than this. The main reason behind this is that the jaw of your child will be a lot softer than to an adult or teenage jaw. Thus, correcting the jaw alignment can be done a lot easier.