Parent guide to children's bites
Is My Child's Bite Normal? Overjet, Overbite, and Crooked Teeth in Kids
Upper front teeth that stick out, a chin that looks set back, or teeth that are coming in crooked are some of the most common things parents notice about a child's smile. Here is what those patterns mean, what can cause them, the signs worth raising with a dentist, and why the timing of a bite check matters.
Reviewed by the SoftSpot Clinical & Scientific Team
What a typical child's bite looks like
When a child bites down, the upper front teeth normally sit just slightly in front of the lower front teeth and cover a little of them from top to bottom. The back teeth meet evenly on both sides, and the jaw closes without shifting to one side.
Between about ages 6 and 12, a child has a mix of baby and adult teeth, and the smile often looks uneven. New adult front teeth can look large, gappy, or slightly crooked for a while. That alone is not a problem. What dentists look at is how the upper and lower teeth and jaws fit together, and whether that fit is changing in the expected direction.
Overjet, overbite, buck teeth, and crooked teeth: what each one means
These words get mixed up a lot. Knowing which one you are seeing makes it easier to describe at a dental visit.
Overjet (often called “buck teeth”)
The upper front teeth sit noticeably ahead of the lower front teeth, front to back. A little overjet is normal; a large gap is what parents usually notice as teeth that “stick out.” Prominent upper front teeth are also more exposed to injury in falls and sports.
Overbite
How much the upper front teeth cover the lower front teeth from top to bottom when your child bites down. A deep overbite can hide most of the lower front teeth. Many people use “overbite” to mean overjet, so it helps to describe what you see.
A set-back lower jaw
The lower jaw and chin sit further back than usual relative to the upper jaw, sometimes described as a receding chin. Clinicians call this mandibular retrusion. It often goes along with a large overjet.
Crooked teeth
Teeth that look crowded, rotated, spaced, or out of line with their neighbors. Some crowding is common while baby teeth are being replaced and is not always a sign of a jaw-growth issue.
An underbite, where the lower front teeth sit in front of the upper, and a crossbite, where some upper teeth sit inside the lower teeth, are different patterns. They are also worth raising with a dentist, but they are not the focus of this guide.
What can cause these bite patterns
Most bite patterns come from a mix of inherited traits and how the teeth and jaws develop. The size and shape of the jaws, and the size of the teeth, often run in families. If a parent or sibling had a similar bite, mention it.
Habits can contribute too. A thumb, finger, or pacifier habit that continues for years can push the upper front teeth forward. Losing baby teeth much earlier or later than usual can affect where adult teeth come in and leave less room for them, which can lead to crowding.
Signs worth mentioning to a dentist
None of these means something is wrong, but each is a reasonable thing to ask about:
- Upper front teeth that stick out or get bumped often
- A chin or lower jaw that looks set back from the side
- Teeth that are badly crowded or overlapping
- Trouble biting or chewing, or biting the cheek or roof of the mouth
- Mouth breathing most of the time
- A thumb, finger, or pacifier habit continuing past the preschool years
- Baby teeth lost much earlier or later than usual
- A bite or jaw that seems to shift to one side
Why buck teeth and a set-back jaw get extra attention
Dentists describe bites by how the upper and lower teeth meet. In a Class II bite, the lower teeth and jaw sit behind where they would normally be relative to the upper teeth. Some Class II bites come mainly from tooth position; others come from how the jaws themselves are growing, which is called a skeletal Class II pattern.
A large overjet and a set-back lower jaw are visible signs that can go along with a skeletal Class II pattern. They are the findings where an earlier conversation with an orthodontist may matter most.
Jaw growth has a timeline. Orthodontists can use growth-guiding appliances to help address a Class II jaw relationship, and a systematic review found the effect on lower-jaw growth tends to be larger when treatment is timed around the pubertal growth spurt.
Once growth is complete, correcting a significant jaw difference can require more involved treatment. Not every child with a Class II bite needs early treatment, and a Cochrane review found the clearest benefit of starting early for prominent upper teeth was a lower risk of injury to those teeth. Deciding whether and when to treat is the orthodontist's job; noticing the pattern in time to ask is where a parent can help.
Traditionally, jaw-growth patterns are assessed with a side-view X-ray of the head (a cephalometric radiograph), taken in a dental or orthodontic office. Photos cannot replace that, but they are free, radiation-free, and can be taken at home, which makes them useful as a first look.
When to see a dentist or orthodontist
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends a first orthodontic check-up no later than age 7, when a child has a mix of baby and adult teeth and many bite and jaw issues can be spotted early. You do not need a referral to book one, and a check-up does not mean treatment will start.
Bring it up sooner, at a regular dental visit, if you notice any of the signs above. Say what you noticed, when you first noticed it, and whether anyone in the family has had orthodontic treatment for a similar bite. Clear photos taken at home can help.
How DentSpot can help you check at home
DentSpot is a free photo tool on SoftSpot Connect, built by PediaMetrix, the team behind the SoftSpot head-shape measurement app. It sits alongside the other free screening tools, EarSpot, NeckSpot, and ScolioSpot.
You photograph your child's teeth from up to five guided angles, or upload photos you already have. An AI model trained on pediatric intraoral photographs looks at each visible tooth and labels it with one of four categories. The labeled photos come back as a visual summary that you can keep, export as a PDF, or bring to a dental appointment.
The point is not to replace a dental exam. It is to turn "something looks a bit off" into a clear set of photos and a specific question, such as "do her top teeth stick out more than they should?"
The four patterns DentSpot labels
Each label describes how a tooth or group of teeth appears in a photo. Different views can show different labels for the same child, which is expected.
Healthy Teeth
The visible teeth did not resemble any of the three flagged patterns the model was trained on. It is not a clean bill of dental health; it simply means none of those specific patterns were found in the photos provided.
Mandibular retrusion
The lower jaw appears to sit further back than usual relative to the upper jaw.
Deep overjet
The upper front teeth appear to sit well ahead of the lower front teeth.
Tooth misalignment
Teeth appear crowded, rotated, spaced, or out of line with their neighbors.
DentSpot only knows these four categories. It does not look for cavities, gum disease, crossbites, open bites, underbites, or missing teeth, so those can be present even when it reports Healthy Teeth.
How to take the photos
DentSpot accepts up to five views, and you can run it with fewer. More views give a fuller picture, since each angle shows different teeth. An on-screen outline helps you line up each shot.
- Front: Teeth gently together, lips pulled back, camera straight on.
- Right: Teeth together, camera at the right side of the mouth.
- Left: Teeth together, camera at the left side of the mouth.
- Up: Mouth wide open, showing the biting surfaces of the upper teeth.
- Down: Mouth wide open, showing the biting surfaces of the lower teeth.
- Use bright, even light. A window or a second phone's flashlight helps more than the camera flash.
- Gently pull the lips and cheeks back with clean fingers, or use a child-size cheek retractor if you have one.
- Keep the phone level with the teeth rather than shooting from above.
- Retake blurry or partly hidden shots. A clear photo is worth more than a fast one.
How to read the result
Look for consistency. A side view may show jaw position more clearly, while the front view may make spacing or overjet easier to see. If the same pattern shows up across several views, that is a clearer reason to share the photos with a dentist than a single label on one photo.
A flagged label is a prompt for a question, not an answer. Teeth shift a great deal while baby teeth are replaced, and some patterns that look striking at age 7 settle by themselves. Equally, a Healthy Teeth result does not rule out a bite issue that is hard to see in photos.
What the research shows so far
DentSpot was developed and tested on a set of pediatric dental photographs labeled by trained annotators and checked by dentists. In early testing on children the model had not seen before, it correctly identified whether a child had healthy alignment or one of the flagged patterns about 95% of the time.
Performance varied by pattern. A set-back lower jaw, misalignment, and healthy teeth were recognized most consistently, while deep overjet was harder to detect reliably, so treat that label with the most caution.
These are early, controlled-study results. Home photos, different lighting, incomplete views, and different ages may change how the tool performs, and further validation is needed before any clinical use.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between overjet and overbite?
Overjet is how far the upper front teeth sit in front of the lower front teeth, measured front to back. Overbite is how much the upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth vertically. People often say “overbite” or “buck teeth” for both, but they are different measurements. A small amount of each is normal.
Can buck teeth or crooked teeth correct themselves?
Sometimes. Teeth change a great deal between about ages 6 and 12 as baby teeth are replaced, and some crowding or spacing settles as adult teeth come in. Patterns that come from how the jaws are growing are less likely to resolve by themselves. A dentist or orthodontist can tell which is which, which is one reason a first orthodontic check-up is recommended by age 7.
When should my child first see an orthodontist?
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends a first orthodontic check-up no later than age 7, when a child has a mix of baby and adult teeth. You do not need a referral, and a check-up does not mean treatment will start. Raise it sooner if the upper front teeth stick out a lot, the chin looks set back, or your child has trouble biting or chewing.
Can a photo check tell me whether my child needs braces?
No. Whether a child needs orthodontic treatment, and when, depends on a clinical examination and often on records such as X-rays, growth stage, and how the teeth and jaws function together. A photo tool like DentSpot only looks at what is visible in photos. It can help you notice a pattern and organize photos for that conversation, but the decision belongs to a dentist or orthodontist.
What is DentSpot?
DentSpot is a free, AI-assisted educational tool on SoftSpot Connect. A parent takes or uploads photos of a child’s teeth from up to five guided views, and the tool marks visible teeth that resemble one of four patterns: healthy alignment, mandibular retrusion (a lower jaw that sits back), deep overjet (upper front teeth well ahead of the lower), or tooth misalignment. The result is a visual reference to review or share with a dentist. It is not a diagnosis.
Does DentSpot check for underbites or crossbites?
No. DentSpot only knows its four categories. It does not look for underbites, crossbites, open bites, cavities, gum problems, or missing teeth. If you are worried about any of those, ask your child’s dentist directly.
What age is DentSpot meant for?
The research behind DentSpot used intraoral photos of children, and the patterns it looks for are most relevant while the jaws are still growing. DentSpot does not set an age cut-off, but photos are easiest to take once a child can hold still and open comfortably for a few seconds.
If DentSpot says “Healthy Teeth,” does my child still need dental visits?
Yes. A Healthy Teeth label only means the model did not flag one of the three specific patterns it was trained on in the photos provided. It does not check for anything outside its four categories. Routine dental care and any check-up your dentist recommends should continue as usual.
How accurate is DentSpot?
In early testing, DentSpot correctly identified whether a child had healthy alignment or a flagged pattern about 95% of the time on children it had not seen before. Accuracy varied by pattern and was lowest for deep overjet. These are results from a controlled research setting, not proof of real-world accuracy, and home photos with different lighting and angles may perform differently.
Are my child’s photos saved?
You can run DentSpot and download a PDF of the result without an account. Saving a session so you can come back to it later requires signing in, and saved images are stored with your account so you can share them with a provider when you choose.
Related reading
References
- American Association of Orthodontists. Orthodontics for Children.
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Management of the Developing Dentition and Occlusion in Pediatric Dentistry. The Reference Manual of Pediatric Dentistry.
- Cozza P, Baccetti T, Franchi L, De Toffol L, McNamara JA Jr. Mandibular changes produced by functional appliances in Class II malocclusion: a systematic review. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2006;129(5):599.e1-12. PMID: 16679196.
- Batista KB, Thiruvenkatachari B, Harrison JE, O'Brien KD. Orthodontic treatment for prominent upper front teeth (Class II malocclusion) in children and adolescents. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;3:CD003452. PMID: 29534303.
- PediaMetrix. Photographic Screening of Pediatric Dental Markers Associated with Skeletal Growth Pattern Using Artificial Intelligence: The DentSpot System. Manuscript in preparation.