Crowding
Teeth overlapping or twisted because the arch lacks room — the most common reason for treatment. Beyond looks, crowded teeth trap plaque and wear unevenly. Treated with braces or aligners; in children, guided expansion can create room and sometimes avoid extractions.
Overbite (deep bite)
Upper front teeth overlapping the lowers too far vertically. Deep bites can wear lower teeth, dig into the palate, and strain the jaw. Corrected with braces or aligner mechanics that level the bite.
Overjet (protruding front teeth)
Upper teeth angled forward horizontally — often called “buck teeth.” In kids, prominent overjet carries a real trauma risk from falls; growth-guidance appliances in the pre-teen years work with the child’s growth.
Underbite
Lower teeth biting in front of the uppers — a jaw-relationship issue with a strong genetic component. Best assessed early; timing matters because underbites are far easier to manage during growth.
Crossbite
Upper teeth biting inside the lowers, on one side or in front. A one-sided crossbite can make a growing jaw shift sideways every time the child bites — one of the clearest cases for genuinely early treatment, often via palatal expansion.
Open bite
Front teeth that don’t meet when the back teeth close — affecting biting, speech, and lip posture. Often habit- or tongue-posture-related; airway-aware assessment matters here because mouth breathing and tongue position frequently underlie it.
Spacing and gaps
Extra room between teeth, from small teeth, missing teeth, or tongue pressure. Usually one of the simplest corrections — and a common quick aligner case in adults.
Impacted teeth
Teeth (classically upper canines) stuck in the bone. Caught early on the age-7 X-ray, guidance can often prevent impaction; caught late, treatment involves surgical exposure and orthodontic traction. A strong argument for that first assessment.
How we use this page in the clinic
When we've named a pattern on the screen, we'll point you here and then to its dedicated page, because we'd rather you read the options before you decide than take our word in the room. Every pattern above has a fuller treatment page under conditions, with the options side by side and the moments when a second opinion is simply good sense. For children, the question under every heading is the same: is this the teeth, or the jaws — and if the jaws, how much growth is left to work with?
The two patterns we'd never want a family to wait on
A crossbite that shifts the jaw on closing, and an emerging underbite. Both are manageable early and difficult late, and both are visible at seven. If you recognise either in your child, the free assessment is worth booking now rather than at the next dental checkup. Everything else on this list has more time — and we'll tell you honestly how much.
Common questions
Which of these problems is most urgent in a child?
A crossbite that shifts the jaw, and an emerging underbite — both manageable early and difficult late.
Can I tell which one my child has?
Some are visible; the important distinction — teeth or jaws — isn't. The records tell.
Do these problems get worse?
Skeletal ones grow in; dental ones drift. Few improve on their own.
Where do I read more?
Each pattern has a full page under conditions, with options side by side.
Related reading
- Conditions — every diagnosis with its options
- Why age seven — the assessment that sorts them
- Book a consultation — free, no referral needed
The bottom line
Every pattern on this page is treatable; the question is when, and with what. The two not to wait on in a child are a jaw-shifting crossbite and an emerging underbite. For everything else, the free assessment tells you whether it's the teeth or the jaws — and that one distinction decides the plan.
If it were our own child
We'd look for a jaw shift on closing and an underbite — the two we wouldn't wait on — and book the free look for everything else without worrying, because most of it needs a recall date and nothing more.