As we all know, achieving and maintaining a mouth full of perfectly aligned teeth is a worthy goal as well as a great indicator of your general health. But if you have an orthodontic issue causing your lower teeth to stick out, you may be experiencing what is known as an underbite. The good news? There are plenty of treatment options for your underbite.
What is an underbite?
First though, what is an underbite? An underbite is when your lower teeth overlap your upper teeth. You may have an underbite ranging from a mild misalignment where your upper and lower rows of teeth almost meet or an acutely pronounced underbite where your teeth don’t meet at all. The latter could be the result of a protrusion of the lower jaw.
Underbite Treatment Options
To correct an underbite, you have a couple of great options. The correction method chosen depends on factors such as the extent of the underbite and you or your child’s age. In fact, you can begin correcting a child’s underbite as early as possible. Some underbites may require only one of the following correction methods or a combination of methods.
Braces
You will have the option to choose from metal, clear, or hidden braces to align your bite. Though you or your child might need to wear braces for two or three years - and a retainer after the braces come off - this is probably the least expensive, most effective way to fix your underbite.
Orthognathic Jaw Surgery
This correction surgery requires moving your lower jawbone to fix your protruding jaw. In this process, your oral and maxillofacial surgeon separates the bone in the jaw’s rear part from the front part and then modifies it. This enables the part of the jaw carrying the lower teeth to be repositioned further back.
Bite alignment is rarely ever perfect, especially at a younger age, but treatments are available to get your teeth perfectly positioned. Make sure to talk over your treatment options with Oldham Orthodontics today when you get in touch on 0161 768 0931.