What Should An Ideal Bite Look Like?

Our Missouri dental clinics aim to help you achieve a perfect bite. In this case, we are not talking about a spoonful of food that you put into your mouth but rather the shape of your teeth. It's not unusual for a person's bite to be slightly off in one direction or another. When that happens, Access Dental & Dentures will do what we can to get it back on track. 

What is the Ideal Bite?
Many people don't even realize if they have an abnormal bite. The alignment of your teeth can be off slightly enough that it does not affect your daily routine but straightening it up can correct things you didn't even realize could be easier.

We'll start by explaining how an ideal bite should look from different angles. Our knowledgable dentists in Southern Missouri get a good look at your teeth from every angle during a dental checkup. You may be able to see if your bite is off by looking in the mirror once you know what to look for.

Front View
This is the easiest view to see when looking in the mirror. Ideally, the edges of your upper front teeth should be parallel to the top of your lower lip. You want a bite where the upper and lower midlines between the central incisors line up evenly with the center of your lips. 

Next, when you close your teeth together, 1/2-2/3 of the length of your bottom teeth should show. When they overlap too much vertically, this is called on "overbite." While still biting down, the upper arch should be slightly wider than the lower arch and your upper teeth should all sit on the outside of the lower teeth. When they don't, this is called a "crossbite."

Arch View
You can see the arch view of your teeth by opening wide and looking down at the tops of your lower teeth, then looking up at the bottoms of your upper teeth. Each row should be aligned in an even curve and in the best case scenario, all teeth will be touching without either overlapping or having gaps between them.

Side View
This view can be a bit tricky to see. The backside of your upper front teeth should rest in front of your lower teeth. When the edges of the upper teeth land directly on or behind the edges of your lower incisors, this is called an "underbite." On the other hand, if the upper teeth extend too far forward in front of the lower incisors, this is an "overjet."

Benefits of Having a Good Bite
Having a proper bite not only adds to the beauty of your smile. It can also offer you the following benefits.

• Chewing & biting food more efficiently
• Clear Speech
• Lower risk for broken or cracked teeth
• Easier to keep teeth clean
• Avoid uneven wear on tooth enamel
• Ease headaches from jaw strain

It is not unusual for most people to have a slightly less-than-perfect bite. You can keep an eye out for warning signs on your own but the best way to correct this before it gets worse is to have regular checkups at one of our Southern Missouri dentist offices. The skilled professionals at Access Dental will be able to advise you on the best ways to straighten that bite back up and keep it in great shape for many years to come. 

We want to be your dentist because your family deserves a great smile! 

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