Overbite still?

[Devon]

I had braces for almost 3 years to correct a massive overbite and straighten my teeth out. Unfortunately I am still not completely satisfied with my profile. There is still a crease underneath my lip, and the tissue underneath my jaw area is "drooping" slightly. I don't want to go back into braces, but I do want to know if there is any way of making my jaw come a little bit forward without braces. Is my age going to be a problem? Also, how can I tell if I actually still do have an overbite or if it is just something that is unable to be corrected? I have trouble biting into apples still.

[Sunny]

Devon you need to talk to your dentist and ask for advice. You may need to see an oral surgeon to find out what is best for you and to find out if something can be done.

Good luck!

[Zoso]

As an adult, braces cannot impact the bone structure per se. Sometimes orthodontic treatment, by moving the teeth into a better bite, can facilitate the lower jaw and chin coming up and round into a better position, but the effect would be minimal. And obviously this was not the case with you.

Once we are done growing, the only way to get a significant impact on the profile is surgically.

Only a trained professional is going to be able to evaluate your case, and then only in person. So head in to see an orthodontist - not a dentist - and see what they have to say. That said though, you might be able to get some idea yourself of whether you have an overjet (an overbite is when the top front teeth come down too low over the bottom front teeth, not as most people think when they are too far ahead of them). First get your jaws into a relaxed, neutral position - open your mouth and touch the tip of your tongue to the middle of the roof of your mouth; hold for a few moments, then keeping the tip of the tongue where it is, gently close your mouth. Are your lower front teeth just behind your upper front teeth - maybe no more than 1 - 2 mm gap? If so, you have no overjet. But if when you close up, the upper front teeth are still further ahead of the lowers than that, then you might have an excessive overjet (again, what most people refer to as an overbite).

If your bite is good, then it may be that your only option to help with the profile would be either a genioplasty (to move the chin tip forward) or a chin implant. But if there is still a significant overjet, then it may be that you could be a candidate for having the lower jaw advanced. Obviously though, this is all pure speculation on my part, so do take it with a grain of salt.