A crossbite is a problem which is mainly associated with one’s childhood and does not correct itself as the person grows. It is used to refer to the misalignment between the back tooth as well as the front tooth. It may even be present on both the back and front and have adverse effects on one’s health.

How is crossbite different from a normal bite?
It is difficult to understand how a crossbite is problematic when you cannot differentiate it from a regular bite. When we bite normally, the upper teeth protrude a little towards the front as well as back too when compared to the lower set of the teeth.

What are the types of crossbite?
The two common types of crossbites are posterior and anterior.

• A posterior crossbite occurs where the top back section of the teeth ends up biting into the bottom section of the back teeth. As per statistics, 1 to 16 percent of children have a problem of posterior crossbite before the permanent teeth form.
• As for anterior crossbite, the palate forces in the upper half of the front teeth that sit right behind the lower section of the front teeth.

What are the effects of crossbite?
As it is not normal to have a crossbite, having dental problems is quite common. Some of the other effects include:

• Decaying of tooth
• Stress on the muscles of the jaw
• Headaches in the shoulder, back and neck due to the strain on the jaw muscles
• Disease of the gum
• Additionally, grinding of teeth and abnormal growth of teeth may be caused due to a crossbite.

However, the worst effect of it all is that if the condition is not rectified on time, the face can asymmetrically grow and really hamper the self-confidence, especially for kids.

How can crossbite be corrected?
It is important to remember that the most ideal time to rectify a crossbite is during teenage or childhood. However, there are plenty of treatment options available, even for adults. Read on to know more.

Palatal or maxillary expander
A device is attached and placed on the palate. This is further attached to the upper section of the teeth which will help in eventually widening the upper palate with the help of a special key. These are most effective for kids whose palates are yet in the growth stage.

The other options for treating crossbite include the following.

• Get a removable expander which is a device that can be worn by the adults for widening the upper palate.
• Getting braces is another option to fix the misalignment.
• Surgical rapid palatal expansion is a procedure that breaks the jaw bone in different places with medical supervision. This helps in the widening of the upper palate.