Brachygnathism, or colloquially parrot mouth, is the uneven alignment of the upper and lower

teeth A tooth (: teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...

in animals. In serious cases, the upper teeth protrude beyond the lower teeth. Problem with parrot mouth occur if the

molars The molars or molar teeth are large, flat tooth, teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammal, mammals. They are used primarily to comminution, grind food during mastication, chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, '' ...

at the back of the mouth are also uneven, resulting in large hooks forming on the upper molars and the rear of the lower back molars. Horses with parrot mouth often require dental treatment at least every six months to remove the hooks and maintain alignment. The equivalent conditions in humans are termed

retrognathism Retrognathia is a type of malocclusion which refers to an abnormal posterior positioning of the maxilla or mandible, particularly the mandible, relative to the facial skeleton and soft tissues. A retrognathic mandible is commonly referred to as ...

prognathism Prognathism is a positional relationship of the mandible or maxilla to the skeletal base where either of the jaws protrudes beyond a predetermined imaginary line in the coronal plane of the skull. In the case of ''mandibular'' prognathism (nev ...

depending on whether the lower jaw is too far back or too far forward respectively.

References

Horse anatomy Jaw disorders {{Vertebrate anatomy-stub

See also

References