Will Widening Dental Arch Will Make my Face Wider?

Question

I have quite wide jaw line, and I hate it. However, my jaw is slimmer than before because I extracted my 4 wisdom teeth. I did not notice the change, but my friend and family told me. My teeth are not bad. I have pretty straight teeth, but my bottom teeth are bit crooked. Also,I have crowded teeth with long front teeth, and my teeth are quite large. I'm thinking about getting invisalign though I've heard the rumor before, and I don't want my face to become wider.

Ira Shapira, DDS · Answer

Four bicuspid removal for ortho frequently leaves an unattractive smile line.  It can also cause or worsen sleep apnea and snoring as well as create TMJ problems and chronic headaches.  Correction of the smile could be evaluated before embarking on treatment by doing a diagnostic wax-up and temporarily placing an integrity composite in your mouth.  This will let you  see very closely how you will look before beginning treatment. 

	It will add to total cost but will avoid a  result that could disappoint you.  I routinely do cosmetic mock-ups prior to veneers and full mouth reconstruction to avoid surprises.

Zach Casagrande, DDS, MS · Answer

No. Widening the dental arch with Invisalign
will simply expand your upper teeth. There is no skeletal movement and it will
not make your face wider.

Jacqueline Demko, DDS, MSD · Answer

There is no way Invisalign will widen your face. It is important to not listen to rumors or friends and family but doctors. Good job finding this forum to bounce your questions off. Go for it, I say. We have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that lower crowded front teeth continue to crowd and are a magnet for the bacteria that causes heart disease and diabetes. SOOOO if you have the money and the dedication DO IT,

Scott LeSueur, DDS · Answer

Good news! The Invisalign process allows the dentist to write up the changes he and the patient desire and also note things not desired and then a 3-d virtual image is created and the changes can be seen and approved before the process is started. As stated by previous writers, the expansion of your jaws is very unlikely with Invisalign used on adults or older teenagers as the bone growth centers are closed. Best of luck! Talk to your Invisalign dentist and he can answer more of your questions.

Michael Minars, DMD · Answer

No, it will not make your face wider unless you have jaw surgery. However, when we widen the dental arches it very often improves the appearance of your smile. It brightens the smile by eliminate the "dark corridors" which are normally seen on a person with narrow arches. Most people prefer this wider look.

Will Widening Dental Arch Will Make my Face Wider?

Answers (7)