Edge to Edge Bite Treatment

A Head Start for a Healthier Smile

What Is an Edge to Edge Bite?

An edge to edge bite is when your upper and lower front teeth meet tip to tip as you bite down, instead of the upper teeth resting slightly in front of the lower ones. You might also hear it called an end to end bite. It sits somewhere between a normal bite and an underbite, and it shows up in children, teens and adults. Plenty of people have one for years without realizing it. Often the first clue is a dentist mentioning chipped or worn front teeth, or noticing that biting through a sandwich or a piece of lettuce takes more effort than it should.

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Pure Orthodontics — Early Treatment FAQ

Pure Orthodontics / FAQ

Edge to Edge Bite questions, answered.

Not quite. With an edge to edge bite, the upper and lower front teeth meet evenly at their tips. With an underbite, the lower front teeth sit in front of the upper front teeth. In children, an edge to edge bite can sometimes be an early sign that an underbite is developing, which is one reason to have it checked while they are still growing.

In many cases, yes. When the problem comes mainly from how the teeth are angled, clear aligners can tip the upper front teeth slightly forward and the lower front teeth slightly back to create a normal overlap. Elastics are often used with the aligners to help. If the jaws themselves are out of balance, braces or a combination of treatments may work better. Your orthodontist will tell you which applies to your bite.

Once the adult teeth are in, it almost never corrects on its own. In young children with baby teeth, the bite can change as adult teeth come in, but that is hard to predict without an exam, so it is worth having an orthodontist take a look.

It can be. Front teeth are built to slide past each other, not to hit head on. Over time, that direct contact can chip, flatten and crack the biting edges, and it can make teeth look shorter and older than they are.

Most people don’t. The majority of edge to edge bites are corrected with braces or clear aligners. Surgery is usually only considered for adults whose jaws are significantly out of balance and have finished growing.

Orthodontists recommend a first check-up by age 7. At that age, the jaws are still growing, and small problems can often be guided in the right direction with simpler treatment.

It depends on whether the teeth, the jaws or both are involved. Mild cases can often be finished in about a year, while cases that rely on jaw growth take longer. You’ll get a realistic timeline at your consultation.

Close your back teeth together the way you normally would and look in a mirror. In a typical bite, your top front teeth cover a little of your bottom front teeth. With an edge to edge bite, the edges of the top and bottom teeth line up and touch. Other signs to look for: • Front teeth that look flat, short or chipped along the bottom edge • Difficulty biting into food with your front teeth • Sensitivity in the front teeth • Your lower jaw sliding forward a little as you close • A chin that looks slightly more prominent from the side

What Causes an Edge to Edge Bite?

An edge to edge bite usually comes from the position of the jaws, the position of the teeth, or a bit of both. Sometimes the upper jaw is slightly smaller or the lower jaw has grown a little further forward. Other times the jaws are fine, but the upper front teeth are tipped back or the lower front teeth are tipped forward. Family history plays a big part. In kids, a single tooth that comes in at the wrong angle can also push the lower jaw forward every time they bite, creating an edge to edge bite that is easy to correct if it is caught early.

Edge to Edge Bite Treatment Options

For children: If a tooth is causing the jaw to shift forward, a short phase of treatment can often fix it. If the upper jaw needs more room to grow, an expander may be used to guide it.

For teens: Braces or clear aligners, usually with elastics, can move the teeth into a normal overlap. Treating during the teen years lets us work with natural growth.

For adults: Braces or Invisalign can correct most edge to edge bites by adjusting the angle of the front teeth. If your teeth are already worn or chipped, fixing the bite first gives any bonding or restorative work from your dentist a much better chance of lasting.

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Does an Edge to Edge Bite Need to Be Treated?

Not every edge to edge bite needs urgent treatment, but most are worth correcting. The constant tip to tip contact wears down enamel, and once enamel is gone it doesn’t grow back. Many people with this bite end up needing bonding or crowns on worn front teeth later in life. It can also contribute to gum recession on the lower front teeth and strain on the jaw muscles. For growing children, early correction can stop a mild problem from becoming a larger one.