Invisalign is a leading orthodontic treatment for adults and teenagers. Effective at straightening crooked teeth, crowded teeth, gapped teeth, and slanted teeth, Invisalign can also help with problems with a bite including an overbite. Even better news? Invisalign technology has advanced so that it can often achieve the same results as traditional braces with a shorter treatment time. Here’s what to know about how Invisalign can fix an overbite.
What Causes an Overbite?
The majority of people who have an overbite are genetically predisposed to the condition where the top teeth and upper jaw lay over the bottom teeth and lower jaw. Known as a Class II malocclusion, overbites are the most common bite and alignment issue affecting children, teens, and adults. Other people may develop an overbite as the result of habits developed during infancy and childhood, including tongue thrusting, thumb or finger sucking, or prolonged use of a pacifier. Premature loss of baby teeth or sleep apnea may also cause an overbite.
How Invisalign Works to Fix an Overbite
Invisalign offers the best of tried-and-true orthodontic science with the capabilities afforded by state-of-the-art 3D imaging, graphics, and technology. There are a couple of ways that your orthodontist can correct an overbite with Invisalign.
Invisalign clear aligners can be designed to include what is known as “mandibular advancement.” The aligners are made of the same clear, smooth, comfortable BPA-free plastic as traditional Invisalign trays. But, they include a feature called precision wings. The precision wings are crafted from a patented material called SmartTrack®.
These wings are placed between the first molars and the premolars. With each bit, the precision wings hold the lower jaw in a forward position. Over time the lower jaw continues to incrementally shift forward, reducing the space between the upper and lower jaw. As treatment progresses, the lower jaw will grow into the proper size to align properly with the upper jaw.
Elastic bands may also be used in conjunction with Invisalign clear plastic aligners to correct a bite issue. The elastic bands can attach to the aligners themselves, or small buttons placed on your teeth. Consistent wearing of your elastics will then begin to correct your overbite.
Orthodontic Treatment for Teens and Adults in Andover, MA
At Andover Orthodontics, Dr. Broccoli and his experienced team provide complete orthodontic treatments to children, teens, and adults. From early intervention in children, through adulthood, our team provides compassionate, experienced service to patients from Andover, Burlington, Boxford, Middleton, and surrounding communities. Contact us today at 978-475-0450 , or request an appointment online.
When you first get your braces on, your orthodontist will provide you with information on braces care. Food restrictions are necessary to prevent damage to your braces. Eating the wrong things or biting into certain foods could cause a bracket to come loose or bend your archwire, which could affect your progress. If you don’t want to wear braces any longer than is absolutely necessary, avoid the following foods.
- Gum. Chewing gum is definitely not a good idea when you first get your braces. Your new wires are very light and flexible and can easily break. Once you have stronger/ thicker wires placed a small piece of sugarless gum should not harm anything, but do not chew large pieces of sugary gum as these can break braces and lead to cavities.
- Ice. Please do not chew on ice, even crushed ice. It is too hard for your braces, and is a bad oral habit to have as it can damage your teeth as you age.
- Hard candy. It is recommended that you avoid hard candy with braces. Although it is safe if you simply hold it in your mouth until it dissolves, if you bite or chew it you could do significant damage to your braces.
- Chewy candy. Taffy, hard caramel, and other chewy or sticky candy (Now or Laters) can be a problem with braces as well. These can be hard enough to do damage and then stick to braces when they soften. As you try to pull it off, your braces may come off with it.
- Popcorn. Popcorn is usually not a problem. Do not crunch on the hard kernels that are left at the bottom of the bag, and clean your teeth well to avoid those slivers getting caught in your teeth and gums.
- Hard pretzels. Biting into large pieces of hard pretzels like pretzel rods or twists can damage your braces. If pretzels are something you can’t live without, eat soft pretzels and tear them into pieces, or choose thin pretzel sticks.
- Corn chips. Some corn chips can be very hard, think Fritos, and should be avoided. Usually, eating one corn chip at a time will not damage your braces. Try not to put too many in your mouth at the same time.
- Pizza crust. It is typically ok to bite into pizza, but it is best to avoid biting the crust. Pizza crust can be pretty hard and may cause damage to your braces. You may be able to cut or tear the crust into smaller pieces to eat as long as it isn’t too hard to chew.
- Bagels or hard breads. Bagels tend to be hard on the outside, so it is best to cut them up into pieces to eat. Other hard breads or breads with crispy crusts should be eaten the same way, in small pieces. You want to avoid tearing pieces off with your teeth.
- Avoid biting into raw, crunchy fruits and vegetables. You can still eat things like apples, carrots, celery, and other raw fruits and veggies as long as you cut them into bite size pieces first and chew them with your back teeth or cook them until they are soft. It’s the act of biting into an apple or biting off a piece of carrot that could damage your braces. Eating healthy is especially important for your dental and overall health, so we still encourage eating fruits and veggies, just in a way that is safe for your braces.
Braces Care Information From Andover Orthodontics
Being careful about what you eat is an important part of braces care. At Andover Orthodontics we provide you with all of the information and tools you need to take good care of your braces and teeth. Following your orthodontist’s instructions to properly care for your braces will help you get through your treatment faster. If you’re looking for an orthodontist for you or your child, Andover Orthodontics is currently accepting new patients in Andover, Massachusetts and the surrounding area.
Call 978-475-0450 today to request an appointment. We look forward to providing you with quality orthodontic care.
Are you currently in the process of Invisalign treatment? If so, you’ve probably noticed that your aligner trays need cleaning now and then. Food particles and bacteria build up on them, which can cause discoloration and reduce their invisibility. Dirty aligners also increase the risk of tooth decay as plaque and bacteria settle into the space between your teeth and the trays.
What’s the best way to clean Invisalign trays? There are a few different methods that are recommended by dentists, orthodontists, and the creators of Invisalign. Here’s what to do to keep your trays clear and free of bacteria.
Brush Your Trays
The best way to clean your Invisalign trays on a daily basis is to brush them when you brush your teeth. Take your trays out and rinse them. Set them aside while you brush your teeth. Then use a separate soft bristled toothbrush and some clear, unscented soap to brush your trays clean. Clear, unscented soap is best because strong fragrances can cling to your trays and give them a bitter taste.
Toothpaste contains abrasives which can over time cloud your aligners. If you are in Invisalign treatment and changing to new aligners every 7-10 days, this should not be a problem. You can just brush your trays with the foamy toothbrush after you brush your teeth.
Rinse Your Trays
You shouldn’t eat or drink anything with your Invisalign trays in, other than water. But if you do, be sure to rinse your trays off afterwards to remove the residue. Rinsing prevents sugar and dyes from coating your trays and staining them. Even if you don’t drink anything other than water, it can still help to rinse your trays periodically throughout the day.
Use Invisalign Cleaning Crystals
Invisalign makes cleaning crystals that are designed to gently but effectively clean your trays. You simply place your trays in the cleaning container with water and crystals according to the instructions. Then shake the container to activate the crystals and clean your trays. Rinse them off and put them back in your mouth.
There are also numerous cleaning products available for clear aligners or clear retainers. Find one you like and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
What Not to Do:
- Do not soak them in mouthwash. Mouthwash is too harsh for your Invisalign trays and is not very effective at cleaning them. Many mouthwashes contain dyes that could stain your trays.
- Do not use hot water. If the water is too hot it can warp and distort your trays. For the same reason, do not place your trays in a dishwasher (it has happened!).
- Do not use alcohol. Never soak your retainers or wash them in alcohol. Alcohol is another substance that is too harsh for Invisalign trays.
- Do not use bleach. There are many reasons you should not use bleach to clean your aligners. For one, no matter how well you rinse them afterwards, you never want bleach to come in contact with your mouth. Also, bleach is one of the harshest chemicals in your home, definitely too harsh for your trays.
- Do not brush them with baking soda. Baking soda is too abrasive for your trays. It can scratch them and compromise their invisibility.
Why is Cleaning Your Trays Important?
If you don’t clean your trays, bacteria can build up on them and lead to tooth decay. Another side effect of built up bacteria is bad breath. You may only wear each set of Invisalign trays for two weeks at a time, but they can get pretty dirty in that amount of time. Clean them regularly to keep them looking clear and keep your mouth healthy and fresh.
Andover Orthodontics Provides Invisalign Treatment
Are you looking for an Invisalign provider? Andover Orthodontics provides both Invisalign and Invisalign Teen for patients who are candidates for this treatment. Adults and teens choose Invisalign because they can straighten their teeth in a subtle way that is less noticeable to others. The removable trays are convenient with no food restrictions and the plastic is smooth and comfortable.
Call 978-475-0450 today to schedule a consultation or request an appointment. We look forward to helping you transform your smile with Invisalign.
Getting your braces off is a great feeling. The same is true of finishing Invisalign or any other orthodontic treatment. But the next stage in your treatment is just as important: retention. Retention means maintaining your results via a retainer.
A retainer is an orthodontic appliance that you wear after orthodontic treatment to keep your teeth from shifting back to their previous position. It helps you maintain all of the wonderful, hard-earned progress of your treatment.
One of the most common questions is, how long do you have to wear a retainer? Here’s what you can expect.
Phase 1: Full Time Wear
For the first few weeks after completing your orthodontic treatment, you will need to wear your retainers full time. You can take them out to eat, brush your teeth, play sports, or play a musical instrument, but you should aim to wear them at least 14 hours a day.
The reason for this is that immediately after your treatment your teeth are at the greatest risk of shifting back out of alignment. The support structures for your teeth, which include your jaw bone, ligaments, and gum tissue, need time to adjust and solidify the current position of your teeth. Once this happens you can reduce the amount of time you wear your retainers.
Phase 2: Nighttime Wear
When your teeth have had time to settle into their new positions, your orthodontist may allow you to reduce your retainer wear to nighttime. You can put your retainers in before you go to bed each night and take them out again in the morning.
It is very important to wear your retainers every night because your teeth are still susceptible to shifting because of all the forces your teeth encounter from your lips, tongue, eating, etc. If your retainers begin to feel tight when you put them in at night, consider wearing them for a bit longer during the day until they fit more comfortably each night.
Never Stop Wearing Your Retainers
Most orthodontists recommend that you never stop wearing your retainers altogether. There is always a chance that the teeth could shift out of alignment again, and no one wants to repeat orthodontic treatment if they could prevent it. Keep wearing your retainers at night and check to see that they still fit comfortably.
Types of Retainers
There are a few different types of retainers that your orthodontist may recommend for you following your orthodontic treatment.
- Clear. Clear plastic retainers fit over the teeth like Invisalign trays. They are basically invisible.
- Hawley. Hawley retainers are a combination of plastic and metal. The metal portion fits against the front side of your teeth and the plastic portion fits behind.
- Permanent. A permanent retainer is made of metal and is cemented to the back side of the bottom row of teeth. It is convenient and invisible, but makes it more difficult to keep the bottom teeth clean.
Retainer Recommendations From Andover Orthodontics
At Andover Orthodontics, we want you to get the best possible results from your orthodontic treatment, and for those results to last forever. The best way to do that is to wear your retainers according to our recommendations. If you ever have a problem with your retainers or if they stop fitting, let us know and we will do our best to correct it.
Call 978-475-0450 today to schedule or request an appointment. We look forward to helping you retain your beautiful smile.
Plaque and bacteria can build up on retainers just like they do on the surfaces of your teeth, so it’s important to keep them clean. While your retainers can’t get cavities, that bacteria buildup can cause tooth decay and gum disease elsewhere in your mouth! The good news is that cleaning your retainer doesn’t add much time to your oral hygiene routine, and by doing so, you can make sure your retainer will last for years to come.
How to Clean a Hawley Retainer
Hawley retainers are made of plastic or acrylic and hold the teeth in place with a thin metal wire. These retainers are strong and durable; they’re sometimes used after your braces have been removed to make refinements to your teeth.
Clean your Hawley retainer as soon as you take it out in the morning; if you wait too long, the plaque will harden, making it difficult to remove. Clean the retainer with a soft-bristled brush and lukewarm water; a mild dish soap can be used for a deeper clean, but toothpaste should be avoided because it can leave small scratches in the plastic base where bacteria can collect. Once a week, soak your Hawley retainer in a retainer cleaning solution to remove plaque and kill bacteria.
How to Clean an Essix Retainer
Essix retainers are clear plastic retainers that are molded to your teeth’s shape. They have the appearance of clear aligners, but the plastic is thicker to give them more durability because, unlike aligners, Essix retainers are meant to last a few years.
Cleaning Essix retainers is similar to cleaning Hawley retainers, with the exception that extra care must be taken to ensure that every groove and ridge is fully cleaned. After removing your retainers, clean them with a soft bristled toothbrush and lukewarm water, using mild dish soap if needed. Cotton swabs can be used to clean hard-to-reach areas that a toothbrush can’t clean. To sanitize your retainers and dislodge any stubborn plaque deposits, soak them in a retainer cleaning solution once a week.
How to Clean a Fixed Retainer
Fixed retainers are metal wires that are bonded to the backs of the teeth to keep them in place. You might think they’d be the easiest to clean because you brush twice a day already, but they’re actually the most difficult!
To begin, clean around the wire anytime you brush, as plaque can easily accumulate there. After that, clean between each of the teeth attached to the retainer using a floss threader and dental floss. Floss all the way down to the retainer, then thread the floss underneath the wire and clean all the way down to the gum line. It’s important to do this every single day to keep plaque and tartar at bay, which can lead to tooth decay and gum disease.
Learn More About Retainer Care
Do you have questions about how to care for your retainer? Contact us today at 978-475-0450 to speak with one of our team members.
Are you considering Invisalign for yourself or your child? Invisalign is an alternative orthodontic treatment to braces that is designed to straighten teeth and correct bite alignment. It achieves similar results as braces through a different method, using clear plastic aligners that fit over the teeth and gradually shift them into proper position. This is quite a bit different from traditional braces, which typically results in a lot of questions from patients and parents.
One of the most common questions is: how long does Invisalign take to straighten teeth? Here’s what you can expect in terms of treatment duration.
Average Treatment Time for Invisalign
The length of treatment varies from one patient to another, but will typically fall somewhere within the range of 6 to 20 months. Treatment time may be shorter for some or longer for others, depending on a variety of factors, such as case severity. But you can most likely have a straighter smile in less than 2 years when you decide to undergo Invisalign treatment.
How Does the Length of Treatment Compare to Braces?
On average a patient will need to wear braces somewhere between 1 and 3 years with an overall average of 2 years. Invisalign is not necessarily a shorter treatment option for every patient, but we find teeth can correct as fast, if not faster, with Invisalign provided we have excellent wear. There are certain circumstances that can increase or decrease the length of time you will need to wear either braces or Invisalign to achieve the desired results.
What Factors Affect the Length of Orthodontic Treatment?
The following are the biggest influences on the length of Invisalign treatment:
- Extent of the Corrections Needed. The further your teeth will need to be shifted in order to be in proper alignment, the longer your treatment will take. Minor orthodontic issues can be treated on the shorter end of the time range, but major issues may extend your treatment time to the far end of the range.
- How Much You Wear Your Aligners. It is recommended that you wear your Invisalign aligners 22 hours per day. If you fail to wear your aligners often enough your treatment will take longer, or may not work at all.
- Keeping Up With Scheduled Appointments. It is important to go to your scheduled appointments for monitoring during your treatment. Missing appointments or rescheduling can extend your treatment time.
- How Well You Follow Your Orthodontist’s Instructions. A key element to the length of your treatment is following your orthodontist’s instructions. You will typically wear each of your aligners for about 2 weeks before switching to the next. But if you aren’t making progress according to your goals your orthodontist may want to adjust that timeframe. It is important to follow instructions carefully to avoid a longer treatment duration.
- Your Age. There’s a good reason why orthodontic treatment is typically done during adolescence. At this stage of growth and development you tend to experience significant growth spurts, which allow your teeth and jaw to be more easily shifted and molded into the desired position. Adults may find that treatment takes longer for them because their teeth are not as easily moved.
- Whether or Not You Had Prior Orthodontic Treatment. Interceptive orthodontics is the term for any treatment that is done at an early age (starting at or before age 7) to correct the teeth or bite. Early orthodontic treatment can correct some of your teeth alignment issues, thus shortening the overall length of your time in braces or Invisalign.
Why Should I Receive Invisalign Treatment From an Orthodontist?
Many dental offices are offering Invisalign treatment these days. They allow the computer software to do the majority of the treatment diagnosis and planning. An orthodontist has specialized training in how teeth move, and years of experience in correcting bites. They can customize your treatment to meet your specific needs giving you the best possible results.
Interested in Invisalign? Andover Orthodontics is a Certified Provider
If you’re looking for an Invisalign provider, Andover Orthodontics has the necessary training and expertise to ensure the treatment is administered properly for faster, more effective results.
Call 978-475-0450 today to schedule a consultation or request an appointment. We look forward to helping you transform your smile.
Orthodontic treatment doesn’t just improve the appearance of your smile. In many patients, it also improves their breathing. More and more research is finding links between the shape of the face and jaw, breathing, and sleep disorders. Children and adults who have obstructive sleep apnea can often benefit from airway orthodontics.
Understanding the Connection Between Sleep Apnea and Orthodontics
Sleep apnea is commonly treated with oral appliance therapy that repositions the lower jaw during sleep to keep the airway open. Airway orthodontics seeks to permanently reposition the jaw for optimal breathing using braces and other orthodontic treatments.
Airway orthodontics is most effective in growing children, as airway problems can be identified at a young age and corrected while they’re still developing. If a child has tongue thrust or a thumb sucking habit, we may be able to stop these habits before they cause airway issues. In other cases, a child may already experience airway issues, but because the jaw has yet to fuse, it can be influenced to grow into the proper shape and size.
Signs That Your Child May Have Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Children with learning, behavioral, and emotional problems may be suffering from sleep apnea. The lack of restorative sleep and low oxygen levels can have a significant impact on their overall health. Some of the most common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea in children include:
- Snoring
- Pauses in breathing during sleep
- Aggressive behavior
- Frequent ear and sinus infections
- Restless sleep
- Mood disorders
- ADHD
- Swollen tonsils
- Narrow jaws
- High blood pressure
- Bed wetting
- Mouth breathing
- Obesity
- Drowsiness
- Enlarged adenoids
- Overlapping incisors
- Facial and jaw deformities
Adults who suffer from sleep apnea have trouble concentrating and performance issues at work. No matter how many hours of sleep they get, they never feel well-rested. Obstructive sleep apnea increases their risk of anxiety, depression, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular events, and obesity.
Treating Sleep Apnea with Orthodontics
By enlarging the airway, your child’s breathing can be improved. Airway orthodontics begins with careful analysis of the facial structure, teeth, jaw, nasal passages, and sinuses. Often, structural issues result from a restricted airway as the body tries to compensate for the lack of oxygen. Children and adults who need airway orthodontics commonly suffer from mouth breathing, forward head posture, and TMJ disorder as well.
Widening the arches, either with braces or a palate expander, can improve the airway, but ultimately, every patient is different and will receive their own unique treatment plan. Throughout treatment, we will continue to assess the airway to ensure that breathing is improving. In the process of correcting the airway, the position of the teeth and jaw will also improve. The result of airway orthodontics is better health and a beautiful smile.
Learn More About Airway Orthodontics
Do you suspect that you or your child suffers from sleep apnea or other breathing difficulties? If you’d like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Broccoli to learn if airway orthodontics is right for you, contact us today at 978-475-0450.
It’s one of the most common questions patients have during their consultations with us—how long do you have to wear braces? In a perfect world, we’d be able to give everyone a clear answer so they know exactly what to expect and can mark the precise day on their calendar when they’ll be done with their braces for good. The reality is a little more complicated—there are a number of factors at play, which means some people may only need braces for a year or less, while others could need braces for two or even three years.
The Average Treatment Time for Braces
For the average patient, braces need to be worn for one to two years, but as with everything, there are outliers. It’s possible to need braces for less than a year or even more than three years.
While it’s helpful to know the average treatment time, it’s important to understand that the only way to know how long you’ll need to wear braces is to come in for a consultation. As mentioned above, we can’t give you an exact timeline, but we can give you a good estimate.
Factors That Impact Your Treatment Time
Perhaps the most important factor in your treatment time for braces is the extent of orthodontic correction that is needed. Patients that only have minor misalignments in their teeth won’t need braces as long as patients who have severe bite issues in addition to misalignments. If you’ve been told you have an open bite, underbite, cross bite, or deep bite, you can expect to wear braces longer. Impacted teeth are another wild card that can extend treatment time.
Although you don’t have any control over how much orthodontic correction you need, you do have control over another factor in your treatment time: following our instructions. If you disregard the food restrictions we provide you and eat sticky candy or chew on ice, it’s likely that you will break off a bracket at some point; whenever this occurs, it adds time to your orthodontic treatment. If you make a habit of this, it has the potential to delay getting your braces off by months because whenever a bracket comes off, your teeth aren’t moving as they should and even relapsing.
Skipping appointments, not wearing elastics or other orthodontic appliances as directed, and poor hygiene can all cause you to have to wear your braces longer than you might have planned. Even when you feel that your teeth look fine, it’s important not to remove braces too soon because it takes time for your bones to set, which ensures lasting results.
The other way to guarantee that your beautiful new smile lasts a lifetime is to wear your retainers after your time in braces is complete. Once your braces are removed, it doesn’t mean your orthodontic treatment is done—it just means you’re ready for the next phase!
Learn More About Getting Braces
If you have questions about braces or other orthodontic treatment options, contact us today at 978-475-0450 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Broccoli.
When your braces come off or you’re done with your Invisalign aligners, you’re likely to feel jubilant—you’re done with orthodontic treatment! Well, we hate to be the bearers of bad news, but you’re not exactly done with your treatment. Instead, you’re about to embark on the next step of your orthodontic journey: getting a retainer. Wear it as directed and you’ll have a beautiful smile for a lifetime. But what happens if you don’t wear your retainer?
More About Retainers
As you might suspect from the name, retainers are used to help retain the proper positions for your teeth after braces or aligner therapy. They should be thought of as an integral part of your orthodontic treatment—your braces or aligners move your teeth into the proper positions, but it’s your retainers that keep them there in the long-term.
There are a few different types of retainers available. A Hawley retainer has an acrylic base that is attached to a wire that wraps around your teeth to hold them in place. A fixed retainer is a thin wire that is bonded to the backs of the lower front teeth. Essix retainers, also known as clear retainers, are increasingly popular as they look and feel much like Invisalign aligners, with the primary difference being that the material is thicker and sturdier for increased durability.
As you near the end of your treatment with braces or Invisalign, we’ll begin to discuss retainer options with you. The right choice depends on your orthodontic needs, personal preferences, and lifestyle.
What Happens When You Don’t Wear Your Retainer
Each of your teeth is held in place by a ligament. Think of these ligaments as thick rubber bands; your braces will move your teeth where they need to be for proper alignment and bite, but the ligaments become stretched like a rubberband. Once your braces are removed, those ligaments will want to snap back into place, moving your teeth with them. When this occurs, it’s called orthodontic relapse.
Although orthodontic relapse happens much more slowly than snapping a rubber band, even neglecting to wear your retainer for a few days can result in the shifting of your teeth. You don’t have to take our word for it, either—you’ll feel it when you put your retainer back on and it feels tight. Go more than a day or two without wearing your retainer and you’ll experience pain when you put it back in. Wait longer than that and it might not even fit anymore.
The last thing you want after investing so much time and money into your smile is to have your teeth shift back. This is why we emphasize the importance of wearing your retainer as directed.
What to Do If Your Retainer No Longer Fits
If you’ve forgotten to wear your retainer and it doesn’t fit anymore, we want you to schedule an appointment with Dr. Broccoli as soon as you can. It’s often possible to design a new retainer that can make slight movements to your teeth to get them back into their proper positions.
If you’re an adult who has experienced orthodontic relapse after decades of not wearing your retainer, you’re not alone. Invisalign, or clear aligner treatment, is an ideal solution in such cases—and once your treatment is complete, your older, wiser self will be sure to wear your retainers as directed!
Learn More About Retainers
Do you have questions about your retainer? We’re happy to help! Contact us today at 978-475-0450 to schedule an appointment at our Andover orthodontic practice.
Braces are used to move teeth into proper alignment and to correct bite issues. It is rare for teeth to come in perfectly straight, so many people require some sort of orthodontic treatment. One of the most common orthodontic issues is crowding, meaning there isn’t enough room in the mouth for the teeth to come in straight. Crowded teeth tend to overlap each other with some teeth in front and others behind.
Crowding occurs more commonly on the bottom row of teeth, which incites the question: Can you get braces on just your bottom teeth? The short answer is Yes, you can. However, you should see an orthodontist for a thorough bite analysis because it is not always recommended or even possible.
It is Best to Get Braces on All of Your Teeth at Once
While it is possible to get braces on just your bottom teeth, it is not very common. There are a variety of reasons for that, including:
- Top and Bottom Teeth Need to Meet Properly. Straightening out the bottom teeth can cause them to meet differently with the top teeth. If the problem is crowding, then straightening the teeth will likely push the entire bottom row of teeth outward in order to make room for all the teeth to be side by side. This could cause the bottom teeth to clash with the top or even lead to an underbite. When braces are on the top teeth too, adjustments can be made to ensure both rows of teeth fit together properly.
- Bottom Braces Alone Can’t Correct Bite Issues. Another purpose of braces besides teeth alignment is bite correction. It can be problematic if the top row of teeth goes too far over the bottom row when you bite down, called an overbite. Simply fixing the bottom row of teeth will not usually correct an overbite. Getting braces on just the bottom teeth also makes it difficult to treat an underbite, where the top teeth meet behind the bottom teeth when the jaw is closed. Other bite problems include an open bite (the front teeth don’t meet at all when the back teeth are touching) and a cross bite (some of the top teeth go behind the bottom teeth and others go in front when you bite down), both of which would be hard to correct with just bottom braces. Because bite issues affect both jaws, it is important to get braces on both to make the proper adjustments.
- Top Teeth Are More Visible. If your main goal for getting braces is cosmetic, the top row of teeth are more visible than the bottom, meaning it would be in your best interest to correct the top teeth in order to improve appearances. If you or your child are self conscious about how metal braces will look on the top front teeth, consider less visible options such as Invisalign. Invisalign straightens the teeth using clear plastic aligners that fit over the teeth and are barely noticeable. This is a much more effective solution than just getting braces on the bottom row of teeth.
Customize Your Treatment
While it may be beneficial to treat all of your teeth at once, ultimately this is your treatment and it is up to you how you wish to do it. Getting braces on just the bottom teeth does have some benefits from saving money to a more subtle-looking appearance. We listen to your wants and needs and use our expertise to make a recommendation based on the corrections you need and the treatment you want.
Andover Orthodontics Provides a Wide Range of Treatment Options
No patient is exactly like another. At Andover Orthodontics we understand that you will have different wants and needs from your orthodontic treatment than other patients. We do our best to customize your treatment, offering a range of options to help you achieve your goals. We provide many orthodontic treatment types from traditional metal braces to Invisalign.
Call 978-475-0450 today to schedule a consultation or request an appointment. We look forward to providing you with the best orthodontic treatment for your needs.