An open bite is a bite where the upper and lower teeth do not touch when you close your mouth, leaving a visible gap. Common causes include jaw growth and habits like thumb sucking, and orthodontists treat it with habit correction, braces or clear aligners.
Open bites are less familiar to most people than overbites or underbites, so it can come as a surprise when a dentist mentions one. The good news is that open bites are well understood, and at every age there are ways to close the gap and help the teeth work together properly.
What Is an Open Bite?
When you bite down, your upper front teeth should overlap your lower front teeth slightly, and your back teeth should meet evenly. In an open bite, some teeth never make contact. You can usually see it in a mirror: with your back teeth together, there is a space between the upper and lower teeth somewhere along the arch.
An anterior open bite is the most common type. The back teeth touch, but the front teeth do not, leaving an opening at the front of the mouth. A posterior open bite is the reverse: the front teeth meet, while some back teeth on one or both sides do not. Our post on how to know if your bite is off describes how an open bite compares with other bite problems.
You can do a simple check at home. Stand in front of a mirror, close your back teeth together gently and relax your lips. If you can see light or your tongue through a space between the upper and lower front teeth, or if some back teeth on one side never seem to meet, mention it at your next dental or orthodontic visit. Only an exam can tell how significant the gap is, but noticing it is a useful first step.
Like crossbites, open bites can be dental or skeletal. A dental open bite comes from the way the teeth have erupted or been pushed out of position. A skeletal open bite comes from the way the jaws themselves have grown, often with a longer lower face and a steeper jaw angle.
What Causes an Open Bite?
Habits are a frequent cause in children. Sucking a thumb, finger or pacifier for years after the baby stage puts steady pressure on the front teeth and the developing jaw. Over time, that pressure can tip the upper front teeth forward and keep the front teeth from erupting fully into contact.
Tongue thrusting is another common factor. Some people push the tongue forward between the front teeth when they swallow or rest the tongue against the teeth when the mouth is closed. Because we swallow many times a day, that gentle push adds up. Mouth breathing, often linked to enlarged tonsils, adenoids or allergies, can lower the resting position of the tongue and jaw and contribute in a similar way. Our post on habits that could be harming your teeth looks at more of these patterns.
Genetics and jaw growth matter too. Some people inherit a skeletal pattern that tends toward an open bite even without any habit. In adults, an open bite can also develop or reappear with jaw joint changes, so any new gap between teeth that used to touch is worth having examined.
What Problems Can an Open Bite Cause?
An anterior open bite makes it hard to bite into foods with the front teeth. People often learn to tear sandwiches or pizza with their side teeth instead. That puts more of the chewing load on the back teeth, which can lead to extra wear over time.
Speech is another common concern. Because the tongue can slip through the gap, an open bite is associated with lisping and difficulty with certain sounds such as s, z, th and sh. Our post on whether orthodontic treatment can help with speech issues explains how bite and tooth position relate to speech.
Some people are also self-conscious about how an open bite looks, especially when the gap is visible when they smile. And because tongue and lip habits often continue unnoticed, an untreated open bite can sometimes grow more pronounced.
How Do Orthodontists Treat an Open Bite?
Treatment depends on the cause, the type of open bite and the patient’s age. Habits and growth are usually addressed first, because moving teeth without dealing with the forces that pushed them out of place can let the gap return.
For younger children, early treatment focuses on stopping harmful habits and guiding growth. At ARCH, this is part of the dentofacial orthopedics and two-phase treatment we provide, which can help correct thumb sucking and address abnormal swallowing and speech problems while the jaws are still developing. Appliances such as habit reminders or expanders may be used, along with simple exercises that teach the tongue to rest in the right place.
For teens and adults, braces and clear aligners can move the teeth into contact. Braces may be paired with elastics to help close the bite. Many open bites can also be treated with Invisalign aligners, which can be planned to move the front teeth into contact and are often helpful for patients whose tongue habits push against the teeth. Severe skeletal open bites in adults sometimes call for a combination of orthodontics and jaw surgery, and your orthodontist will explain if that applies to you.
| Age group | Common focus | Typical tools |
|---|---|---|
| Young children | Stopping habits and guiding jaw growth | Habit appliances, expanders, tongue exercises |
| Teens | Closing the bite while growth finishes | Braces with elastics or clear aligners |
| Adults, dental open bite | Moving teeth into contact | Braces or clear aligners |
| Adults, severe skeletal open bite | Correcting jaw position | Orthodontics combined with jaw surgery |
Can an Open Bite Come Back After Treatment?
It can, which is why orthodontists pay close attention to the causes and not only the teeth. If a tongue thrust or mouth breathing habit continues after braces come off, those same forces can slowly reopen the bite.
Wearing retainers as directed is the most important step in protecting your result. Your orthodontist may also suggest continuing tongue posture exercises and working with other providers when breathing or airway concerns are involved. Our post on sleep orthodontics explains how jaw and tongue position connect to breathing.
Before treatment starts, detailed records help with planning. We use digital X-rays, 3D cone beam imaging and iTero 3D scans to study the teeth and jaws so the plan matches the real cause of the open bite.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should a child be checked for an open bite?
We follow the American Association of Orthodontists recommendation of an orthodontic evaluation by age seven. An open bite tied to a thumb or pacifier habit is often easier to address while a child is still growing.
Will an open bite close on its own?
A small open bite in a young child sometimes improves once a sucking habit stops. Open bites that remain after habits end, or that come from jaw growth, generally need orthodontic treatment.
Can clear aligners fix an open bite?
Many open bites can be corrected with clear aligners. Your orthodontist will confirm whether aligners suit your specific bite after an exam and imaging.
Is an open bite the same as gapped teeth?
No. Gapped teeth have spaces between neighboring teeth. An open bite is a vertical gap between the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed.
Get Your Open Bite Evaluated at ARCH Orthodontics
If you notice a gap between your front teeth when you bite down, or your child has a thumb sucking or tongue thrusting habit, an orthodontic exam can show what is going on. Our orthodontists see patients of all ages in Bridgewater, Canton, Hyannis, Hyde Park, Orleans and Westwood. Request a free consultation to learn your options.