Overbite. Coloured X-ray (side view) of the head of a 32 year old woman showing overbite of the upper jaw (blue) and its teeth. The protruding teeth of the upper jaw are causing malocclusion where the dental bite is adversely affected. This extreme case of malocclusion is called retro- gnathism: the lower jaw is so far back that it affects even the molar bite; with the upper incisors (front teeth) pushed outwards. Soft tissues outline the profile of the face, while the skull is seen with vertebral bones of the neck. Overbite usually develops in childhood and is often inherited, although thumb-sucking may be a cause.