If I understand it correctly, a stable bite would be one that doesn't change without external forces being applied. In other words, 10 years from now it looks the same as it does today, unless you do something to force it to move.
That being said, requiring a retainer for the rest of one's life (even if only at night) to keep the bite in its corrected position seems to imply that no bite is stable - that without some external force to keep it in place, it will naturally drift.
Am I missing something?
What is a "stable" bite?
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blueeyedboy
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Sounds right. Though if you work it backwards, you'll see why some of us have braces; that is, most people have a certain degree of malocclusion but not enough to require correction.In those case their bites are stable even if not 100%. That is they can't get worse. Outside that certain degree we then have "us" 
those with classifiable malocclusion such as class 1 2 3 etc. Where moving the bite to 100% or under, within that certain degree of acceptability, requires the braces. And because it so off as to be classifiable, it needs the retainers forever in order for them not to move back to where they were.
those with classifiable malocclusion such as class 1 2 3 etc. Where moving the bite to 100% or under, within that certain degree of acceptability, requires the braces. And because it so off as to be classifiable, it needs the retainers forever in order for them not to move back to where they were.What if you throw jaw surgery into that equation? If someone has a considerable overjet due to mandibular retrognathism and has their lower jaw moved forward surgically does stability increase considerably? I would have thought the addition of surgery to the treatment would have dramatically improved a ten year outlook even without the use of retainers. However, I was reading something recently that claimed even surgery can relapse.
Indeed it can. Mine has relapsed twice. It's highly dependant on the skill of the surgeon because the jaw is a very difficult joint to work with, but even the best surgeon can have an occasional relapse.dentalguy wrote:What if you throw jaw surgery into that equation? If someone has a considerable overjet due to mandibular retrognathism and has their lower jaw moved forward surgically does stability increase considerably? I would have thought the addition of surgery to the treatment would have dramatically improved a ten year outlook even without the use of retainers. However, I was reading something recently that claimed even surgery can relapse.