Will invisalign or conventional braces make my overjet worse?

Question

I have a 6 mm overjet 50% overbite and crowding. Class 2 maloclussion. I do not want extractions or surgery-this brings limitations to correcting overjet and overbite. Is their a possibility the overjet can get worse if I use conventional braces or invisalign? I want to correct the crowding and bring the overjet down to a 3 or 4 from a 6 not make it an 8! One orthodontist said without extractions the overjet could get worse. He also suggested invisalign over conventional braces. HELP!

Sarah Thompson, DMD · Answer

I understand that you don't want any teeth extracted, but you do want your overbite/overjet reduced.  However, it is extremely difficult to have both.  Your only remaining option is to have your dentist use palatal expanders to correct your bite.  The tremendous downside of this would be that the widening of your mouth may broaden the appearance of your face and affect your speech and functionality, depending on the severity of your bite change.  Additionally, you would have to be concerned with relapse of your teeth after using a palatal expander to forcibly broaden your arch.If I were you, I would just bite the bullet and get the extraction in order to make the rest of my teeth look great.  Ultimately, it's your decision.  So, good luck to you and I hope this helps.  You can "Follow" me on Real Self to ask more questions.Sarah Thompson, DMD St. Louis, MO

Brad Lockhart, DDS · Answer

Will the problem get worse is mostly dependent upon your age and the cause(s) of your overjet and overbite. The most common causes of severe overjet are: thumb sucking, mouth breathing, excessive use of a pacifier or baby bottle and/or adverse tongue position.Any of these problems that persist (most likely only the adverse tongue position and mouth breathing) would need to be resolved before any treatment will be successful. However, you CAN resolve all of your issues WITHOUT surgery. You will first need to develop your upper arch. This is done with a removable appliance. You then need to bring your lower jaw forward. This is done again with a removable appliance or some doctors also use a fixed appliance to accomplish this. You will then need to wear braces to straighten your teeth and correct the excessive overbite.This can all be accomplished in as little as two years (depending on how much arch development needs to occur and how crowded the teeth are). Be extremely careful about extracting upper bicuspids and retracting upper front teeth. This type of treatment will match your upper jaw with an already retruded lower jaw. Remember that your midface will be retracted along with your teeth. You must also ask your treating doctor about the effects that bicuspid extractions will have on your airway and your TMJ health. If he/she can not answer questions about the effects that bicuspid extractions have on facial aesthetics (including lip support and profile), TMJ health and airway health then I would suggest you find a different doctor to treat your case.Good luck!

Will invisalign or conventional braces make my overjet worse?

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Will invisalign or conventional braces make my overjet worse?

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