Types of bite
Bite or 'occlusion' is the contact and position of the teeth when the jaws are clenched. The dimensions of the lower dental arch are smaller than the dimensions of the upper arch. The upper arch has an elliptical shape, while the lower arch has a parabolic shape.
Antagonists are the teeth with which an individual tooth comes into contact during a bite. The incisors upper jaws are wider than the incisors lower jaws. Therefore, the teeth of the upper jaw are displaced distally against the teeth of the lower jaw and therefore each tooth (except lower I1 and upper M3) is in contact with two teeth of the opposite row (it has two antagonists). The ``primary antagonist is the eponymous tooth of the second jaw, while the ``minor antagonist is the adjacent articulating tooth of the second jaw.
The plane of occlusion is the plane formed by the biting surface of all teeth. The contact line where the teeth of the upper and lower jaw meet is called Spee's contact (occlusal) curve. It is convex to the lower jaw and its stretching leads to the mandibular articulation.
We distinguish individual types of bite: "psalidodontia", "labidodontia", "opistodontia", "prognathodontia", "stegodontia" and "hiatodontia".
| Types of Bite | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Psalidodontia | The name comes from the word 'psalis = scissors. This is the most common type of bite (80 % of cases). The front teeth of the upper dental arch are placed in front of the teeth of the lower arch. | 
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| Labidodontia | This name comes from the word 'labis' = pincers. This is a less frequent type of bite, the upper and lower incisors touch with their biting edges. | 
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| Opsidodontia | In this bite, the mandible is short and the lower incisors are further behind the upper incisors. | 
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| Prognathodontics | In prognathodontics, the mandible is long (progeny') and the lower incisors are in front of the upper incisors. | 
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| Stegodontia | A roof bite occurs when the upper incisors point diagonally forward, in front of the lower incisors. This is a rarer type of bite. | 
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| Hiatodontia | This bite is described when there is a gap between the upper and lower incisors, even if they are facing each other. | 
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References[edit | edit source]
- ČIHÁK, Radomír – GRIM, Miloš. Anatomy. 2. 3. edition. Grada, 2013. ISBN 9788024747880.
- PETROVICKÝ, Pavel. Anatomie s topografickými aklinickými aplikacemi, II.svazek. 1. edition. Osveta, 2001. 560 pp. pp. 560. ISBN 80-8063-046-1.
