Common Orthodontic Issues

Crowding of the teeth

Crowding was resolved in order to establish a more functional bite and esthetic smile.

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Open bite - Front teeth don't touch

This patient sucked her thumb as a young child. She had braces and a special appliance — called a crib — to retrain the tongue posture. Now she can bite the lettuce out of a sandwich.

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Deep overbite - Lower front teeth bite into palate

Deep bites (overlap of the incisors) can lead to increased tooth wear of the lower incisors over the years if not corrected. Note the resolution of the deep bite and the increased show of the lower incisors.

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Missing lateral incisors

This patient's lateral incisors were congenitally missing. A temporary bridge was used replace them until the patient stopped growing and two implants can be placed.

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Underbite - Lower front teeth in front of upper teeth

An anterior crossbite (underbite) can lead to uneven wear patterns on the incisors and issues chewing.

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Spacing of teeth

Generalized spacing was closed to establish proper tooth contacts.

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Overjet - Protruding front teeth

At age ten, patient had a big overjet with the top teeth protruding beyond the bottom. She had two phases of treatment. The first helped her jaws to grow more harmoniously and the second aligned her teeth and bite. At age 13, she was proudly displaying her new smile.

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Non-braces treatment

Sometimes braces are not needed to get noticeable improvements in tooth alignment. Removable retainers can be considered depending on the movement complexity as well as the patient's compliance.

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Phase-One

Patient's parents were concerned about both aesthetics and the health of the erupting permanent teeth when they brought him to the orthodontist at age eight. The lower front teeth were crowded and touching the palate, and the upper front teeth were extremely displaced from their normal positions. After 12 months of Phase-One treatment with an expander and partial braces, patient's appearance and dental function were vastly improved.