An overbite is when your top front teeth overlap your lower front teeth and “stick out“ too much. It’s natural (and healthy) to have a minimal overbite, but severe overbites can increase your risk of injury to protruding teeth, contribute to the development of a TMJ disorder, play a role in speech abnormalities, and can be considered unattractive. Can doctors use Invisalign aligned to help fix these problems? Absolutely!
How Our Doctors Use Invisalign To Fix Overbites
Correcting an overbite with Invisalign trays is similar to other types of orthodontic treatment. By digitally mapping where we need your teeth to be moved, a series of clear aligners systematically shifts your teeth gradually by changing to new aligners every week to 10 days. Each aligner is a bit straighter and more aligned than the previous one and if worn properly the teeth get the message to continue movement toward a treatment goal. Each pair of trays is a little bit different than the last, so they apply gentle pressure at key points throughout your smile. No brackets or wires are needed.
Treating overbites is similar to addressing other types of malocclusion (crooked teeth). The upper front teeth are brought back into alignment with your soft tissue facial profile, while the lower front teeth might even be brought slightly forward. This is done by using the aligners in conjunction with forces between the upper and lower jaws in the form of elastic rubber bands. Even though you’ll probably notice the tooth movement most at the front of your mouth, the teeth a little further back will also be aligned in the process.
Occasionally we may need to create a little extra room in your mouth to be able to move front teeth backward. Some of the ways we can do this are by opening the contact points between your teeth or in more challenging situations, removing a few teeth to create room to retract the upper front teeth backward for a pleasing smile and proper bite.
Invisalign also allows for very creative solutions for some adult problems. If the wisdom teeth are removed, Invisalign allows for a very special technique our orthodontists have spent a lot of time mastering. Traditional braces tend to move everything forward in the mouth but Invisalign can be used to push upper teeth backward into the wisdom tooth space (*when removed). This is a truly fantastic method that was developed in the past 10 years and has been used successfully by our doctors and around the world. So, it may not be too late to fix that bothersome overbite.
Choosing an Experienced Orthodontist
Highly experienced Invisalign orthodontists like the team at Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan can provide you with the highest level of care for complex bite discrepancies. If you have a severe overbite, be sure to choose a seasoned provider who has worked on thousands of patients with problems that are similar to yours.
Reserve a Consultation
Find out how well Invisalign can work on your overbite and get an estimated timeline by calling Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic Specialists of Michigan today.
