Will Lips Change After Braces And Extraction Of Protruding Teeth?

In general the upper lip moves back 1/2 the distance the upper teeth move back.....remember however that, if your teeth were crowded, much of the extraction space was already used to correct the crowding so the teeth move back less than the full space.

Lip and facial esthetics should always be factored into the decision to extract teeth, but sometimes it is the best option

When extraction is recommended by your orthodontist to correct protruded teeth, as the upper teeth go back, the lips also go back. However; if there is a lot of crowding, there will not be much change on the profile.

You have received a number of excellent answers from other practitioners.  Final lip position is not strictly a function of whether extractions are performed.  In fact, more protrusive lips can be produced even with extractions depending upon the biomechanics employed and the goals determined for treatment.  If retraction of the teeth to reduce protrusion is desired, then some degree of lip retraction is likely to accompany the teeth.  There have been a number of studies attempting to determine the predictability of the amount of this lip change that have demonstrated varying success.  In 2005, workers from Brazil and U.S. published a study of upper first premolar extraction patients and again found only mild predictability, but on average there was about 0.7 mm of lip retraction for each 1.0 mm of front tooth retraction.  Interestingly, enough, these changes are most often determined to be esthetically pleasing in these types of situations where patients desire reducing the protrusiveness of their front teeth.

In general the upper lip is supported partially by the upper front teeth.  So anything that moves the front teeth back can move the upper lip back.  However, each case is unique.  Sometimes extracting teeth might not have much affect on the upper lip, depending on factors like how much dental crowding there is, how protrusive the front teeth are, or exactly which teeth (first vs. second bicuspids) are extracted.  I would suggest discussing these issues with an experienced orthodontist to get answers about your case.

The contour of the face and lips rely on two things:


bone structure (the maxillary and mandibular bones, aka cheek bones and jaw, and teeth)

facial tissue (the muscles and fat)


Just like people who have taken out the full dentures have their face shortened and lips caved in, protruding and misaligned teeth gives the face an uneven and unbalanced profile. 

Braces (orthodontic treatment) not only aligns the teeth for functional purposes but also cosmetically enhances the facial features to give a balanced and even look.  Under different circumstances and goals, a dentist would extract protruding teeth followed by braces to fill in the gaps or realign them with the rest of the teeth.

The amount of change in you lip position after orthodontic treatment, especially after the removal of teeth, is dependent upon many factors. If you have crowding in the arches, you many not notice any lip change at all. If you have big, full lips you may not notice any difference at all. The real changes take place if your teeth are protruding and not crowding. Moving them back will give you some improvement. At minimum you won't see the lips move further forward and look more protrusive as sometimes happens if you do not remove teeth. The key to a successful outcome is a thororugh diagnosis by an experienced orthodontist. Not removing teeth when necessary can be just as bad as removing teeth when is it not appropriate. Good luck!