Common Orthodontic Issues

There are many malocclusions (bite problems) and just as many options on how to achieve an efficient and effective correction. Here are some examples:

Crowding of the Teeth:

When the mouth is too small and the teeth struggle to fit, the options are either expansion or extractions, along with braces. We look for the option that compliments the face and lips. The final result needs to be a beautiful smile that does not strain the lips and leaves the patient with healthy gum tissues

Spacing of Teeth:

Invisalign treatment closed the spaces and gave this patient an ideal bite in twenty-four months. Special glued-in retainers help keep the spaces closed.

Open bite: Front Teeth Don’t Touch:

The patient had a thumb sucking habit. This also created a tongue thrust problem. Orthodontic treatment addressed both the bite and the function of the tongue.

Deep Overbite: Lower Front Teeth Bite Into Palate:

This adult patient had a combination of braces and jaw surgery to correct the severe overbite. The treatment lasted two years. This type of problem could have been corrected without surgery if the patient had been treated while growing, before the teenage years.

Missing Lateral Incisors:

This patient’s upper lateral incisors were congenitally missing. Braces were placed for twenty months and moved the teeth into the correct positions and left spaces for replacement of the missing teeth. The two missing teeth were replaced with bonded “Maryland” bridges. In the adult years the patient will need two implants.

Underbite: Lower Front Teeth in Front of Upper Teeth:

The underbite was causing problems eating and excessive wearing down of the teeth. Treatment with braces created a beautiful smile and made chewing much easier. In this case, braces and elastics achieved the results, however, Invisalign could have also been used.

Overbite: Protruding Front Teeth:

This pre-teen patient had a deep overbite and the top teeth protruding beyond the bottom. Two phases of treatment were done. The first phase helped the jaws grow more harmoniously; the second aligned the teeth and bite. Before high school, the patient was proudly displaying the new smile. Waiting to do this type of treatment when the patient is a young adult would have been a surgical-orthodontic plan.