Anterior open bite – detailed

Description


Anterior open bite

“There is no contact and no vertical overlap of the upper and lower incisor crowns when the jaws are in full occlusion.”
Houston et al. 1996

Clinical appearance of an anterior open bite

Anterior open bite from a sagittal view

There are two types of anterior open bites: Dental open bite and Skeletal open bite.

A dental open bite caused by thumb sucking. Note the facial height is normal. Incisors are usually proclined. (Adapted from Reddy and Dawjee 2019)

A skeletal open bite caused by a multitude of factors (discussed in diagnosis). Note the facial height is long and a steep mandibular border is present. Incisors are usually upright/retroclined. (Adapted from Tavares and Allgayer 2019)

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