Most people already know about dental conditions such as gum disease and cavities, but you may not have heard about crossbites. Essentially, a crossbite occurs when your teeth don't line up properly when you close your mouth. This can affect one tooth or groups of teeth.

Crossbites can cause discomfort, and they can also affect anything from jaw development to facial structure when left untreated. As such, this is a condition that should be treated as soon as possible, so here are just four signs to watch for.

1. Teeth Don't Line Up

The most obvious sign you have a crossbite is that one or more of your teeth don't line up. This can happen in two ways. With an anterior crossbite, the top front teeth sit behind the lower front teeth. With a posterior crossbite, the upper teeth sit in front of the lower front teeth. Since some cases may only impact one tooth, minor crossbites can simply involve one tooth being tucked behind another.

2. Sore Jaw

When you have a crossbite, your teeth cannot come together as they naturally should, and this often means added pressure is put on your jawbone and temporomandibular joints. At first, you may simply notice discomfort at the point where your lower jaw attaches to your skull, but this problem is likely to become more pronounced as time passes. This may eventually lead to the development of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD), which is one reason it's important to have a crossbite treated.

3. Chewing Issues

Crossbites can often make eating slightly uncomfortable since the teeth won't be coming together properly when you chew. This tends to affect the front teeth more than those at the back, but all teeth can be affected as a crossbite develops. Since crossbites often prevent all teeth from coming together on both sides, you may find it harder to chew on one side than the other. If teeth are particularly crowded, you may also find yourself regularly biting the edge of your tongue or the inside of your cheeks.

4. Receding Gums

Receding gums can be caused by several dental issues, including crossbite. When a crossbite is the cause of receding gums, you're likely to notice that the gumline has pulled back more in certain areas than others. You may also experience frequent bleeding from your gums. While other oral health issues can cause receding and bleeding gums, all of them should be treated by a dentist as soon as possible.  

Reach out to a local dentist to learn more.