Recognizing a Bite Problem in Your Child

Like you, your children need regular, routine dental care to monitor oral health, treat cavities, and find issues before they turn into serious problems.

While you may worry about cavities, you may not think all that much about your child’s bite. However, how their teeth fit together affects alignment, oral health, and appearance. Recognizing a bite problem in your child early gives you a chance to improve it and avoid problems in the future.

At Solay Dental in Oldsmar, New Port Richey, and Brandon, Florida, our skilled dentists, Dr. Shiva Soleimani and Dr. Katalina Beltran, manage all dental issues, including bite problems in children and offer orthodontic services to take care of them.

Read on to learn how to recognize a bite problem in your child.

Too many cavities

Misalignment of the teeth often occurs with bite problems. Teeth may overlap, stick out, or not touch when the mouth is closed. Misaligned teeth make oral care more challenging, especially for children still learning how to properly brush and floss.

Overlapping teeth may trap food debris or make it harder to brush away plaque (sticky stuff made by the bacteria in the mouth). These oral health problems may make your child more prone to cavities.

If your child brushes regularly but seems to have new cavities at every dental visit, they may have a bite problem.

Headaches, earaches, or jaw pain

Does your child complain of headaches or earaches often? Is your child having a hard time chewing because of jaw pain? These are signs your child may have a bite problem.

If your child’s teeth don’t fit together when they chew, it places more stress on the jaw and muscles in their face. The bite problem may overwork the jaw joint, leading to temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), a painful condition that causes clicking or grinding of the joint. The excess strain on the jaw muscles may lead to muscle spasms and headaches.

If your child has ongoing complaints of head pain, jaw pain, or earaches, it’s time to visit us at the location near you to check your child’s bite. Improving the alignment of their teeth with braces or clear aligners may alleviate their pain problem, improving their quality of life. 

Speech is unclear

Movement of your mouth and lips helps you speak. If the upper and lower jaw are misaligned, it may affect the quality of speech, making it hard to pronounce “s” or “z” sounds or cause a lisp.

If your child’s speech is unclear, a bite problem may be the cause. Fixing the problem may improve the clarity of their speech, helping them socially and academically.

Teeth grinding, uneven wearing of teeth, and mouth breathing are also signs of a bite problem. The good news? Finding your child’s bite problem early can help you take steps sooner to fix it, improving their oral health, pain conditions, speech, and appearance.

We are a full-service dental practice for the whole family, providing everything from preventive dental care to orthodontics to oral surgery. If you have concerns about your child’s bite, we can take a look and come up with a solution. 

Call us today at 727-516-9900, or book an appointment online at the office most convenient to you.