Hi. I need the help with overbite.

[Piggie]

Hi. First of all, please ignore the dumbest screenname in the history of internet, I really couldn't have thought of anything better at the moment.
Anyway, searching google, I came across a topic from this forum about an underbite being fixed with braces only, without surgery and there I found a glimpse of hope. I'm pretty much in the same situation only that it's overbite. And I'm younger, being 20. Now, I really would like to avoid surgery so what can I do? Are rubber bands effective? If yes, how much? I know it depends on me and each case is specific and so on but generally, how good are they? I think my main issue is teeth but I think it would do wonders if my jaw could somehow get moved just a wee bit. Lower jaw that is. Or upper jaw to the back, I also wouldn't complain given that outcome. Any chance, rubber bands can do anything there? Or not so powerful? And what's the best system to use? Damon seems great but every now so often I see people supposedly in the know, saying it's just hype. Well still, for the placebo effect if nothing...they say it's faster.

Thanks n front for your answers

[mariahfromchicago]

Welcome. Your username is cool, don't worry about it. I haven't had rubber bands yet. But it all depends on how severe the overbite is, consider a consult with an ortho in your area. 20 is young. The brand of brackets does not matter, find an orthodontist that you are comfortable with.

[Tara19]

Hi and welcome!!

Yes, overbites can be fixed with braces only. I have seen it several times done in my family. With the use of rubber bands and such, a qualified orthodontist can do it and usually get it 75% to where you expect to be. Not perfect, but hey we don't need to be perfect right..

To get started, I suggest you get SEVERAL opinions from orthodontist in your area, they are usually cheap if not free. If you have molds done, make sure you take them with you to your other consultations.

Some orthodontist will show you pictures of cases they have done that are similar to yours.

At your age, your jaw is still soft and I'd say you are in good shape to get the smile you are looking for.

Good luck

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome to this forum Piggie!

Great you're considering getting some help with your bite, but there's know way we can help you with your questions, as only an orthodontist with x-rays and knowledge would be able to do this. Anything we would say, would be a bit like the reason you feel drawn to a type of bracket system ... it's not that we actually know, it's just something we've read and it sounded good at the time.

When you find the right orthodontist to work with your bite, they will also use the right brackets for you. Bracket systems are of no value, unless the orthodontist knows how to use them ... and it doesn't matter what type ... it's about the orthodontist's skill and you doing your part.

Elastics are good ... in fact they've done amazing work with my bite over the past two years. My ortho diagnosed my class III bite (underbite) as dental and therefore there's no jaw movement needed. If it had been skeletal, then it would have required surgery to correct. There is only so much elastics can do ... plus you have to think of the stability of the end result.

Please make some appointments to meet with ortho's for consults and hopefully this will help you make an informed decision!

[Zoso]

In adult cases, orthodontia alone is not going to change the relationship between the jaws to any significant extent (you may get minor remodelling in the TMJ - the jaw joint - but the magnitude of any such change would be extremely small).

As noted above, if your issue is purely dental - just the teeth being in the wrong place - you can probably get pretty decent correction with braces alone. But if it is skeletal, then the best you can hope for without surgery is a compromise, and those results (again as noted above) may not necessarily be stable.

So my advice is to have several consultations, and ask lots of questions both about the quality of the results - whether there would be any compromise or incomplete correction - and also about the expected stability.

I'll also stand in line and add my opinion to those who are saying that hype around any particular bracket system, sadly is just that - hype. So pick your orthodontist based on how you feel about him and his staff, and how you feel about the treament plan he offers; don't fret what brackets he prefers.

[Piggie]

Originally Posted by Zoso

As noted above, if your issue is purely dental - .

Hm, I think it's somewhat, both. Anyway, how long would the entire surgery process take? I know I need to have braces before and after but I heard some staggering numbers of needing like a few years for everything to come together. Man, as much as I want improvements, you know, a few years I just don't want to give on it. One year or so, fine.

Well, here's a good idea. Since it's both IMO, I guess I"ll ask my ortho to try it with braces, since I"ll need them anyway. And if we get to the point where it doesn't work anymore, we can just drop them and go for the surgery, right? Something like that ought to be able to arrange, right? Hopefully.
I mean, I wouldn't mind surgery that much if it's 6 months braces before, surgery, swelling, 6 months after etc but if it's like 24-32 months recovery time, that just seems a bit overwhelming.

[coolestSamantha]

Welcome!
Just to start I love your username its highly original!
Now just pretty much what everybody else has been telling you. Every case is different and you need to see an orthodontist. You should probably vist 2 or 3 orthodontist and get all of thier opinions. Tell them how you would like to avoid surgery and ask them if rubber bands would be fully efective in your case.
I wish you luck and hopefully you hear some great news when you visit the orthodontits. Hope to hear back from you soon!

[Zoso]

Yes indeed - every case is different so any numbers from us would be pure guesswork.

What I will say to you though is this: I was told, as were many others, that the timeframe for treatment would be roughly the same whether I went for surgery and complete correction, or sought a purely orthodontic compromise result.

Recovery from surgery itself is not that long - anything from a week to a month, depending on what you have done, how good and how fast your surgeon is, and on your own body. Braces are typically removed around six months post-op, but I've seen people have them removed barely a month after surgery, and others who have gone over a year post-op. Again it's all going to vary from one person to another. Obviously how long you'd need to be braced pre-op would depend on how much your teeth needed to be moved in the first place.

When you go in for consultations, ask if this is even a decision you could postpone: sometimes the early treatment will be the same whether going for complete correction through surgery, or a non-surgical compromise.

And, by the way: what is a couple of years compared to the decades that will follow?