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#1 Family Orthodontist in Leawood: Underbite Treatment Options

A family orthodontist in Leawood explains that an underbite affects 3% of people in the population. Underbites don’t always result in death or serious harm. However, they may affect a person’s ability to chew and digest food. You should take immediate action to correct an underbite. Underbites are common, but little is known about how to treat them. Fortunately, there are a variety of options available to you. You can begin a better life by receiving treatment. This is a brief guide to treating underbite.

The Basics of an Underbite

A family orthodontist in Leawood explains that when the lower teeth are longer than the upper teeth, an underbite develops. Despite its slightness, an underbite gives the appearance of a bulldog.

• Underbites are often inherited. Underbites are common in people whose lips and palates were cleft at birth. An underbite can result from injuries or thumb sucking, though these situations are uncommon.
• A lot of people deal with minor underbite pain. On the other hand, severe underbites can make it difficult to speak and chew food. Pain in the mouth, face, and jaw can result from an underbite.
• Record your symptoms before seeking treatment. You might have TMJ if you are experiencing excruciating jaw pain. You might have a tumor or a broken jawbone if you are experiencing facial pain.
• Note the position of your jaw. You might have a misaligned jaw or crooked teeth.
• Additionally, observe how your tongue fits within your mouth. When you rest your tongue, it should come in contact with the roof of your mouth. Your underbite may enlarge if your tongue presses against your lower jaw.

Underbite Metal Braces in Leawood

The most popular treatment for underbite is metal braces in Leawood. They can straighten teeth that an underbite may have pushed around by adjusting the position of the jaw and teeth.

• Underbite braces function in the same way as other braces. Certain dentists affix extra hardware to modify the alignment of your bite. To settle the lower jaw against the upper jaw, they fasten elastics to push it back.

• A family orthodontist in Leawood explains that they make wiring adjustments based on movement of the jaw and teeth. To make sure that everything is proceeding as planned, they take dental impressions and X-rays.

• For adults, braces are the best non-surgical option. They offer a prompt fix, repairing an underbite in less than a year.

• You must modify your consumption of food and beverages. Food that could get caught in your braces must be avoided. You must refrain from getting toothpaste and drinks on your clear braces in Leawood.

• Use Invisalign in Leawood if you’d like invisible braces. While Invisalign is more costly than traditional braces, it provides an equally good outcome. More steps are needed in cases of underbite that are more severe.

Non-Surgical Treatment for Underbite

Numerous non-surgical treatments are available from a family orthodontist in Leawood. For a long-term cure, you might require two or more treatments.

• When the upper jaw does not fully develop, a jaw expander can be helpful. The dentist fits a metal appliance over the back teeth. By forcing the teeth out, the apparatus enlarges the palate and upper jaw.
• Certain jaw expanders function similarly to removable retainers. The dentist needs to permanently fix others on the palate.
• Small children benefit most from jaw expanders. Jaw expanders adapt to a child’s growth patterns because jawbones don’t fuse until a child is 12 or 13 years old.

For a year, jaw expanders are advised by a family orthodontist in Leawood. Until their bones have fused, a patient might need to wear a retainer.

• A jaw expander is not the only piece of underbite headgear. The patient’s forehead is where the headgear rests. A dentist uses elastic bands to fasten the headgear and braces together.
• Over time, the headgear adjusts the upper jaw into place. Some headgear devices align the lower jaw by using chin cups.
• Children ten years of age or younger are the best candidates for underbite headgear. Both during the day and at night, children can wear headgear. They can easily take off their headgear if they need to for a social gathering.

Treatment for Surgical Underbite

If conservative measures prove ineffective, underbite surgery is an option. The best option for an adult who doesn’t want metal braces in Leawood is surgery.

• Your dentist may be able to extract a few teeth if the number of teeth in your upper jaw is excessive. For your braces to function properly, you might need to have teeth extracted.
• Teeth are extracted quickly and frequently. Your family orthodontist in Leawood will administer a local anesthetic before twisting the tooth out of its socket.
• Orthognathic surgery is a multidisciplinary field. It might be necessary for a dentist to realign your upper, lower, or both jaws. Small screws or plates will be inserted to make sure the bones don’t move back.
• It might be necessary for a dentist to divide the back from the front of your jaw. It might be necessary for them to transfer material from another area of your body to add more bones. Over the course of a year, these kinds of operations might need several procedures.
• Underbite surgery is a safe and efficient procedure. You can have to miss a few weeks of work, but you can be back at work in about a month. All incisions made during underbite surgery are made inside the mouth by a dentist, so scars are avoided.

Bite Back

• An underbite has the power to astound. However, assistance is available. You can correct your underbite today if you are aware of your options for treating it.
• You have an underbite if your lower teeth protrude over your upper teeth. Most people are able to tolerate small underbite pain. However, you ought to seek assistance if you have problems eating or jaw pain.
• Adults frequently wear braces. Underbite headgear and jaw expanders are further options. Plate implantation and tooth extraction are included in corrective surgery.

Contact Starting Point today if you would like more information about your underbite and possible options.

 

Welcome to Starting Point Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, where we’re more than your average tooth fairies! We’re the architects of stunning smiles that light up Kansas City brighter than a firefly’s glow. If you’re on a quest for a children’s orthodontist in Leawood, kids orthodontist in Leawood, or a teen orthodontist in Leawood, consider your Indiana Jones-style hunt over! We believe orthodontic care should be as unique as your kiddo’s laugh. That’s why we offer a range of treatments from clear Braces in Leawood to ceramic braces and metal Braces. Got a case of crowded chompers or crooked canines? We’re the crooked teeth and crowded teeth orthodontists in Leawood you’ve been searching for.

 

And guess what? Our Leawood services are as budget friendly as they are top-notch. We accept most dental insurance and offer interest-free payment options. Special discounts? We’ve got those too for our brave military families and those with multiple braces champions. From the cutting-edge Clarity by 3M in Leawood to the ever-popular Invisalign, our team is ready to add some sparkle to your smile. Let’s make Kansas City shine, one smile at a time!

Request an appointment here or call our clinic at 913-491-5044 and let us add some sparkle to your smile!