Open Bite Treatment UK

In adults, open bites very rarely close without treatment. Childhood open bites caused by thumb sucking or dummy use may improve naturally if the habit stops before the permanent teeth are established, particularly in mixed dentition. However, open bites in teenagers and adults have usually become structural — involving the position and eruption of the teeth and sometimes jaw growth — and require orthodontic correction to improve. Leaving an open bite untreated often results in compensatory changes in how the tongue and jaw function.

Clear aligners can treat mild-to-moderate open bites, particularly those caused by tooth position rather than jaw skeletal structure. Aligners can intrude back teeth and allow the front teeth to over-erupt slightly, helping close the gap. More significant open bites, especially those with skeletal or tongue posture components, often require fixed braces with additional auxiliaries for reliable correction. In severe skeletal open bite cases in adults, orthognathic surgery may be the most stable solution.

Yes, in many cases. An open bite affects the contact points between the tongue and teeth needed to produce certain sounds. Sibilant sounds like 'S', 'Z', and 'SH' are particularly affected. Many people with a significant open bite develop a lisp or slight slur on these sounds. Speech therapy can help compensate but does not address the underlying structural cause. Successful orthodontic correction of an open bite often leads to natural improvement in the clarity of these sounds.

Treatment time for an open bite depends substantially on its severity and cause. A mild anterior open bite caused by tooth position may be corrected in around 9–14 months with aligners or braces. Cases needing functional appliances, tongue crib placement, or a combined orthodontic-surgical approach typically take 18–30 months in total once preparation, active treatment, and any surgical stage are included. A specialist orthodontist will estimate treatment duration after a full records assessment.

Open bites can result from prolonged thumb or finger sucking in childhood, tongue thrust habits where the tongue pushes forward against the front teeth, skeletal growth patterns, or a combination of these factors. The underlying cause helps determine the most appropriate treatment approach.

Yes. Because the front teeth do not meet, an open bite can make it difficult to bite cleanly into foods such as sandwiches, pizza, or whole fruit, so people often compensate by using their back teeth or tearing food with their hands instead. This is one of the functional reasons orthodontists recommend correcting an open bite rather than treating it as a purely cosmetic issue, alongside the effects on speech and long-term tooth wear.