Bite Correction · Specialist-Led · Last reviewed May 2026
Overbite, Underbite, Crossbite: Corrected.
Picasso Dental treats every type of bite problem in Vietnam, overbite, underbite, crossbite, deep bite, open bite, with specialist orthodontist-led treatment using fixed braces, Invisalign, or auxiliary appliances. Severe skeletal cases coordinated with orthognathic surgery where indicated. Bite correction is preventive as much as cosmetic, untreated bite problems progress over decades.
The Five Bite Problems
Each is a distinct issue with its own typical causes, consequences and treatments.
Overbite
What: Upper front teeth overlap lower front teeth excessively. Normal overlap is 3 mm; overbite is 4+ mm.
Consequences: Lower-tooth wear, gum trauma, jaw joint stress, lip-trap aesthetics.
Causes: Inherited jaw shape, thumb-sucking history, gradual lower tooth eruption.
Treatment: Braces or Invisalign with elastics, intrusion mechanics, occasionally minivis anchorage.
Underbite
What: Lower front teeth bite in front of upper front teeth. The opposite of normal overlap.
Consequences: Speech impact, eating difficulty, accelerated front-tooth wear, distinctive jaw profile.
Causes: Often genetic (skeletal), occasionally dental.
Treatment: Mild dental underbite, braces or Invisalign. Severe skeletal underbite, often requires orthognathic surgery alongside orthodontics.
Crossbite
What: One or more upper teeth bite inside lower teeth (anterior crossbite at the front, posterior crossbite at the side).
Consequences: Asymmetric jaw growth in children, uneven wear, jaw joint stress, functional shift.
Causes: Narrow upper jaw, ectopic eruption, thumb-sucking history.
Treatment: Children, palatal expander (best timing). Adults, expansion with minivis or surgery, or compensatory tooth movement.
Deep Bite
What: Extreme overbite where upper front teeth completely cover or nearly cover lower front teeth, sometimes lower teeth touching upper gum.
Consequences: Accelerated front-tooth wear, gum trauma, restoration failure, TMJ stress.
Causes: Inherited jaw shape, missing back teeth allowing front teeth to over-erupt.
Treatment: Braces or Invisalign with intrusion mechanics, bite ramps, minivis. Severe cases may need orthognathic surgery.
Open Bite
What: Vertical gap between upper and lower front teeth when biting down. Back teeth touch, front teeth do not.
Consequences: Speech impact (lisp), eating difficulty (cannot bite into apples or sandwiches), accelerated back-tooth wear.
Causes: Long-term thumb-sucking, tongue thrust, skeletal jaw growth pattern.
Treatment: Mild dental open bite, braces or Invisalign with extrusion mechanics. Severe skeletal open bite often needs surgery.
Combined Bite Problems
What: Many patients have multiple bite issues simultaneously, e.g., deep overbite plus crossbite, or open bite plus underbite.
Treatment: Comprehensive specialist orthodontic planning. Sometimes phased approach (one issue first, then the next). Often easier than treating each in isolation.
Why Bite Correction Matters
The reasons go beyond aesthetics. Bite correction is preventive medicine.
Tooth Wear and Damage
Misaligned bites concentrate force on specific teeth. Over decades, this causes accelerated wear, chips, fractures, and failure of restorations. Correction prevents further damage.
Gum Damage
Deep bites and certain crossbites cause lower teeth to bite into upper gums, eventually causing gum recession or chronic ulceration. Early correction prevents permanent gum loss.
Jaw Joint (TMJ) Stress
Bite problems often cause asymmetric chewing patterns and joint stress. Correction can reduce TMJ symptoms (clicking, pain, limited opening) in many patients, though TMJ is multifactorial.
Speech and Eating Function
Open bites and severe underbites impact speech (lisp) and eating (difficulty biting into food). Correction restores normal function as much as it improves appearance.
Long-term Restoration Stability
Crowns, veneers and implants placed over an uncorrected bite tend to fracture or fail prematurely. Correcting the bite first extends restoration lifespan dramatically.
Sleep and Breathing
Some bite issues (especially severe class II underdevelopment) can contribute to airway problems and sleep-disordered breathing. Coordinated orthodontic and airway treatment is increasingly common.
How Bite Correction Works
The toolkit specialist orthodontists use to correct bites.
Conventional Orthodontics
Braces or Invisalign as the main appliance. Both can correct most bite issues with skilled planning. Treatment time depends on the severity.
Elastics
Small rubber bands worn between upper and lower teeth, applying directional force to correct front-back bite relationships. Fitted to braces hooks or Invisalign attachments.
Palatal Expander
Removable or fixed appliance that widens the upper jaw. Most effective in growing children for crossbite correction. Adults may need surgical assistance for full skeletal expansion.
Forsus or Twin Block
Class II correction appliances for underdeveloped lower jaws. Encourage forward growth in young teens. Similar effect to old-style headgear without the visibility.
Mini-Implants (TADs)
Small temporary anchorage devices screwed into the jaw bone, providing fixed anchorage for tooth movement. Especially useful for deep bite correction and complex tooth movements.
Orthognathic Surgery
For severe skeletal bite problems where pure tooth movement cannot achieve the correction. Coordinated orthodontics + jaw surgery typically over 36 months. Rare, but the right answer for severe cases.
Pricing for Bite Correction
Standard orthodontic treatment plus auxiliary appliances when needed. Pricing depends on case complexity, and is itemised in your written quote after consultation. Auxiliary appliances (palatal expander, Forsus, Twin Block, transpalatal arch, mini-implant TADs) are added to the orthodontic treatment cost. Orthognathic surgery, when needed, is a separate hospital cost performed at our hospital partner branches in coordination with maxillofacial surgeons.
By Age: When to Treat
Bite issues are easier to correct at certain ages. Here is the timing.
Ages 6 to 9: Phase 1 Interception
Crossbites, severe Class II / Class III, narrow arches, harmful habits. Best treated during active jaw growth. Palatal expanders, functional appliances and habit appliances are most effective at this age.
Ages 10 to 13: Late Phase 1 / Early Phase 2
Functional appliances (Twin Block, Forsus) most effective during peak growth. Class II underdevelopment treated here can avoid surgery later. Some Phase 1 interception still possible.
Ages 13 to 16: Phase 2 Comprehensive
The classic age. Most permanent teeth erupted. Comprehensive bite correction with braces or Invisalign. Some skeletal corrections still possible during late growth.
Ages 16 to 18: Late Teen / Young Adult
Growth largely complete. Dental bite corrections continue to work well. Skeletal corrections without surgery become more challenging. Comprehensive Invisalign and braces both valid.
Ages 18 and Over: Adult
Pure dental bite correction works equally well as in teens. Skeletal bite correction without surgery has more limits, dental compensation is the typical approach. Severe skeletal cases need orthognathic surgery.
Adults with Wear or Damage
Many adult patients with bite issues seek treatment after years of damage, worn teeth, broken restorations, gum recession. Correcting the bite prevents further damage and preserves remaining teeth.
The Specialist Orthodontic Team
Specialist Orthodontist
Dr. Thuan Phung
Specialist orthodontist with comprehensive bite-correction experience across all five bite types. Particular focus on adult bite correction and TMJ-related cases.
Specialist Orthodontist
Dr. Toan Le (Dr. Mathew)
Specialist orthodontist with broad experience in functional appliances (Twin Block, Forsus) and Phase 1 interceptive bite correction in children and teens.
Founding Clinical Director
Dr. Emily Nguyen
Founder of the original clinic in 2013. Sets clinical standards for orthodontic-restorative coordination in bite correction cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an overbite?
An overbite is when the upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth excessively. A small overlap (1 to 3 mm) is normal. Deep overbite (5+ mm) means the lower front teeth are largely hidden when biting. Severe overbite can cause wear on the lower teeth, gum trauma, and jaw joint stress.
What is an underbite?
An underbite is when the lower front teeth bite in front of the upper front teeth. Normal alignment has upper teeth slightly in front of lower. Underbites can be dental (just the teeth) or skeletal (the lower jaw is genuinely too far forward, often inherited).
What is a crossbite?
A crossbite is when one or more upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth instead of outside. It can affect the front (anterior crossbite) or one or both sides (posterior crossbite). Untreated, it causes asymmetric jaw growth in children, uneven wear, and jaw joint stress.
What is a deep bite?
A deep bite is an extreme version of overbite where the upper front teeth completely cover or nearly cover the lower front teeth, sometimes with the lower teeth touching the gum behind the upper. Causes accelerated front-tooth wear and gum trauma.
What is an open bite?
An open bite is when there is a vertical gap between the upper and lower front teeth even when biting down. The back teeth touch but the front teeth do not. Often caused by long-term thumb-sucking, tongue thrust or skeletal jaw growth patterns.
How are bite problems corrected?
Mild to moderate bite problems are corrected with conventional orthodontic treatment (braces or Invisalign), often combined with auxiliary appliances like elastics, expanders, Forsus or Twin Block. Severe skeletal bite problems sometimes require coordinated orthognathic (jaw) surgery alongside orthodontics.
Can Invisalign correct bite issues?
Yes, mild to moderate bite issues are routinely corrected with Invisalign Comprehensive, often using elastics or precision attachments. Severe skeletal bite problems remain better treated with fixed braces (where auxiliary appliances integrate more easily) or with orthognathic surgery.
Will I need surgery for bite correction?
Most patients no. Most bite issues are corrected with orthodontics alone. Severe skeletal bite problems where the upper and lower jaws are significantly mismatched in size or position may require orthognathic (jaw) surgery alongside orthodontics. We tell you honestly at consultation if surgery is part of the optimal plan.
How long does bite correction take?
Mild bite issues: 12 to 18 months. Moderate bite issues: 18 to 24 months. Severe bite issues with auxiliary appliances: 24 to 36 months. Cases requiring orthognathic surgery: 24 to 36 months of orthodontics plus surgical recovery.
How much does bite correction cost in Vietnam?
Standard orthodontic treatment ranges from metal braces at the entry tier to Invisalign Comprehensive at the upper tier. Auxiliary appliances (minivis, transpalatal arch, expanders, Forsus, Twin Block) are quoted separately. Orthognathic surgery, when needed, is a separate hospital cost. After your free consultation we provide a written quote. See our Invisalign cost guide for current pricing.
Is bite correction harder in adults than teens?
Some skeletal bite problems are easier to correct during active jaw growth in children and teens, especially Class II underdevelopment treated with functional appliances during growth. In adults, jaw growth has stopped, so skeletal bite issues either require pure dental compensation (limits) or orthognathic surgery for full correction. Most dental bite issues are corrected equally well in adults.
What happens if I do not correct my bite?
Untreated bite problems often progress over decades, causing accelerated tooth wear, broken restorations, gum recession, jaw joint problems (TMJ), and changes to facial appearance. Bite correction is preventive as much as cosmetic. Many adult patients seek treatment specifically to prevent further damage.
Related Pages
Crooked Teeth Treatment
If your bite issue comes with crowding, rotations or gaps, the broader symptom-led decision page covering all crooked-teeth concerns.
Invisalign
Picasso is a Platinum Elite Invisalign Provider. Comprehensive cases routinely correct moderate bite issues alongside alignment.
Dental Braces
Fixed brackets and wires. The most flexible appliance for severe bite cases requiring auxiliary appliances or maximum control.
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