After assessing your teeth, your orthodontist may prescribe braces to force your teeth to align correctly. Braces are designed to correct several different types of bites. When a misalignment, which is sometimes called a "malocclusion," does not permit the teeth to meet properly, it can damage the jaw muscles or even weaken the jaw bones. Here are a few bite types that are corrected by braces:

Open Bite

An open bite occurs when the teeth of the upper and lower jaw don't meet. Tongue thrusting, which occurs when the tongue thrusts itself between your teeth when you swallow. is usually involved in the production of an open bite. 

Overbite

If you are diagnosed with an overbite, your upper teeth in the front of your mouth rest in front of your lower teeth. An overbite is usually caused by genetics. In other words, the condition just runs in your family. However, it can also result from thumb-sucking.

Overjet

Overjet is commonly called "bucked teeth." The misalignment of the front teeth cause them to protrude from the mouth. Overjet can be caused by the the way that your skeleton has formed. However, it can also be caused by behaviors that force the teeth outward, such as sucking your thumb.

Underbite

An underbite is characterized by upper front teeth that seem recessed behind the lower front teeth. An underbite can result from heredity, thumb-sucking or poor chewing habits. However, underbites only affect between 5 and 10 percent of people, and they tend to be more common among those of Asian descent.

Crowding

If you suffer from crowding, adjacent teeth may overlap throughout your mouth because of insufficient space. Yet, crowding is not always caused by too little space in your mouth; it can be caused by a gradual drifting of your teeth over time. People who originally have straight teeth can suffer from crowding as they age.

Wide Spacing

Teeth that are spaced widely often occur because the size of the jaw bone and the size of your teeth don't match up. The condition occurs temporarily in children as a normal part of growth. However, in adults, it can be due to the continued growth of your jawbone. 

According to humana.com, of the over 4 million people who wear braces, one fourth are adults. If you suffer from a bite problem, braces may be able to correct your condition. For more information, contact Wright Center For Orthodontics or a similar location.