Correct overbite and/or straighten teeth?

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#1 Post by **lomdogs** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 3:11 am

I went to the orthodontist to get an estimate on straightening my front teeth. I have an overbite, but told him that I didn't want to correct that because I don't want to change my appearance and I have a good bite(according to my dentist). Well, after he told me about invisalign and that it would work for both, I am now wondering what I should do. Granted the correcting everything is about four thousand dollars more and involves another year of treatment, but to get a perfect smile without anyone noticing (I am too old for a metal mouth!) is kind of intriguing. The only problem is that I would have to have two teeth removed and this is the part that I am most concerned about. His plan is to remove the teeth right next to the canines and I am afraid that it will show and I don't know how common or necessary taking out perfectly good teeth are. It seems kind of drastic. I wonder how many of you had teeth taken out and what, if any, drawbacks to that approach you have found. Thanks so much. I have an appointment on the 14th to decide.

#2 Post by **lomdogs** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 10:02 pm

What are elastics? I have never heard that term before. I am very new to the invisalign thing, but he is one of those premier invisalign orthodontists and has some before and after pictures where an overbite has been corrected, but with teeth pulled. My front teeth are rather crowded which is why I wanted to get them fixed. He wouldn't have to pull teeth to fix the crowdedness only to correct the overbite. I didn't see where the teeth would go, but have since heard of the tooth shaving and I guess that they would get smaller. Thank you for your reply.

#3 Post by **lomdogs** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 4:11 pm

Thank you. I think I understand more of what's involved and am thinking maybe I should just stick with my original plan of just straightening the front teeth and leaving the overbite alone. There are so many things to think about that I had never even thought of or heard of. What is your opinion of what to do if I absolutely wanted to stay out of metal braces. Are elastics uncomfortable and how do they fit over invisalign (or under)?

#4 Post by **PigletInIowa** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:15 pm

lomdogs,
Do you mind disclosing where do you ortho practice? I'm actually interested in checking him out myself. I had 2 upper premolars extracted to correct an overjet (some people call it overbite by mistake) and have fix braces. But I'm really not enjoying the metal and really want to switch to Invisalign. But my ortho told me exactly like Meryaten said that teeth tend to tip into the gap. However, I did read about using Invisalign to close gaps and correct bites (there are people on the board having it, too) So I'm just wondering if I can contact him, too. Anyway, keep us updated about your decision!

#5 Post by **Newgrin** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 12:13 pm

Hello everyone, new guy here but I have been reading this site for while to get an idea what invisalign will be like for me. Has been alot of help so I figured I would try to help someone too. My main teeth problem was also an overbite (overjet) my dentist here in Las Vegas is a Premier provider. I am on my first aligner and so far so good, the only teeth he extracted were my wisdom teeth and he's doing some tooth shaving. good luck

#6 Post by **John37** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 3:37 pm

I have elastics with Invisalign. How they are used would depend on what you are trying to do with the elastics. In my case, I have little plastic hooks glued to the bottom of my lower canines and they cut a slit in the upper trays next to the first molars. The bands attach to the slit on the upper tray and the hook on the lower canine. They are supposed to help twist my lower canines. I also had my wisdom teeth removed and the molars and premolars were moving back to create space for the canines to rotate. The bands wee supposed to help with this. It seems to have worked so far, but I'm not sure what would have happened without the elastic bands.

A picture from 3 months ago:

#7 Post by **lomdogs** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 11:40 pm

Well my ortho appointment is Monday, so I guess I will know more then. I already had my x-rays and impressions done so hopefully he will have more of an idea of what is possible. I still don't like the idea of extractions of perfectly good teeth and since I really don't care that much about fixing the overbite, I think I already know what I will have him do, but we'll see. To the person who asked where my orthodontist practices, he is in Northern California. Thank you for your help and replies. I guess if I wear elastics, then everyone will know I am in braces essentially? Kind of defeats the whole invisable thing?

#8 Post by **John37** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:07 am

The bands may not be visible. It depends on where they are. You can only see mine because I am pulling my lips apart. You only see them if I smile really big. And I can take them out for short periods if I need to talk to people. You don't even know if you would need the bands yet, but at least now you can ask about them and if they would be visible if you needed them.

Just tell him you'd like to not have extractions and he can come up with the best plan to fit your criteria. He is trying to make a sale, so he should try to do what you want.

In your original post you said you wanted your teeth straightened and weren't worried about the overbite. Maybe you can do just that and not get the extractions.

Anyway, good luck at the appointment and let us know how it goes.

#9 Post by **lomdogs** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:10 am

Well I just got back from my orthodontist and am so thankful for this site and all the questions I was able to ask and that I presented some semblance of knowledge.

As some of you indicated, with extractions there was a strong possibility of my having metal braces on the back teeth if the others appeared to be tilting to the empty spaces. Elastics would be tried first, but then braces on the back teeth if needed. I also wondered about where my teeth would go after being straightened, if I chose only to straighten, and he indicated that they would have to arch out more (since crowding is the reason they are crooked in the first place) but he felt that it wouldn't necessarily make my overbite look worse, since they would be straight. He told me about the IPR (on the back teeth, never the front he said) but said that that would correct only a millimeter or two of my overbite and it would add an additional $2,000 to the cost. So now I am still having to decide! I think that since I originally wanted only to straighten my teeth and knowing all that is involved in correcting my overbite, and what it could possibly entail, I am back to thinking that shorter treatment, less money, and less invasive treatment would probably make the most sense. So I have an appointment on Thursday for another impression that they will send to the invisalign lab. I am thinking I will just straighten front teeth. With one in college and one soon to go, it definitely makes the most sense financially.

#10 Post by **djrobsd** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:31 pm

John37 wrote:I have elastics with Invisalign. How they are used would depend on what you are trying to do with the elastics. In my case, I have little plastic hooks glued to the bottom of my lower canines and they cut a slit in the upper trays next to the first molars. The bands attach to the slit on the upper tray and the hook on the lower canine. They are supposed to help twist my lower canines. I also had my wisdom teeth removed and the molars and premolars were moving back to create space for the canines to rotate. The bands wee supposed to help with this. It seems to have worked so far, but I'm not sure what would have happened without the elastic bands.

A picture from 3 months ago:

So if you do braces instead of invisalign do you still need those elastics?

#11 Post by **John37** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 9:03 pm

djrobsd wrote:So if you do braces instead of invisalign do you still need those elastics?

I have no idea.

I went to a dentist and never consulted with an orthodontist about braces.