Open Bite Treatment?

[Petunia]

Hi everyone! Just to introduce myself, I currently have damon braces to fix my open bite and cross bite. I've been lurking here since before I started treatment back in September and have learned alot but finally decided to join since I had a question I couldn't really find the answer to. Sorry if it's been discused before... So far my treatment has gone really smooth! No broken stuff yet and not to much discomfort either.

So my question is - has anyone here had an open bite treated with just braces and elastics? I've been through several wires and am currently in my 'finishing' wire and powerchains (purple ) to close up some gaps that opened. I started out with an open bite where only my back molars on one side touched but then I started having about even contact on both sides. Originaly I was going to have several miniscrews put in to pull the back teeth up and I also got my 2nd molars on the top arch pulled and we're going to let my wisdom teeth come into those spaces. My ortho is saying that things are progressing so well (I now almost have overlap with my front teeth! ) that we're probably not going to use miniscrews and just finish things up with elastics and bends in the wire. Sorry to make this such a long story but I'm kindof just needing to here if there's anyone out there who has experienced treatment for an open bite with just braces and elastics. I'm a little concerned about retention too... Anyway, I just haven't found much on this type of bite and would love to hear what anyone else is doing about it!

[thisisme]

I have an open bite (9.5mm) and I am having surgery next year. Not quite sure which type yet!

[Petunia]

Hmm... doesn't look like too many people on here have this kind of bite. I looked at your pictures thisisme and they're looking great!! I was never a sugery case (except for one ortho who would have recomended me to her husband for the surgery ) and another thing I forgot to mention is that I'm only 16 so that probably makes a difference.

My next appointment is coming up in a week and a half so I'm excited to see what will be done! Hopefully we'll get started on correcting my bite since my teeth have straightened up nicely!

[Jelhatton]

I'm in much the same boat as you. About 2 years ago only my back teeth contacted. I had surgery dates twice but cancelled. Im now just under a month away from having my braces removed. Used elastics and bent wires. Still have TMJ pain but it improves all the time. Im happy about my choice. Although surgery may or may not have gotten rid of all the pain I have no idea what complications might have arose. I'm 19 btw almost 20. Been in braces for about 5 years in all.

[Petunia]

That's great to hear it's working out for you Jelhatton!! I always get excited when I feel my teeth touching where they didn't before . I'd love to see pictures of your treatment, do you have them posted anywhere? Sorry I don't have any I don't put any of my picture online and I can't seem to get a good one anyway.

[Petunia]

Well I had my ajusment yesterday and it was a pretty eventful one!! The ortho came and put a lot of little kinks in the backs of the wire (my finishing wire) then told the assistent to put me on some rubber bands. So with a "new" wire shape, power chains top and bottom and elastics, my mouth's a little sore today but not as bad as I thought. The ortho also grinded off some of the high spots on my teeth which was very unpleasent but not lasting.
I'm wearing two rubber bands in triangles both on my right side. One goes from first molar on top to first and second molars on bottom and the other goes from canine on top to the two teeth right below that. The exciting news is now I have contact on almost all my right side and pretty much all my front teeth which have never touched since all my adult teeth came in!!!! (yes, I'm excited about that )

[Zeppguy73]

figured I'd share since I'm a 21 yo open bite, slight relapse case. After having braces for about 4 years and getting them off when I was 13, my teeth were perfect. That is up until about three or four years ago. I noticed my retainers weren't fitting when I bit down, but were when I kept my teeth apart. Apparently, over a period of growth spurts, my upper jaw had decided to tilt back. However, the whole jaw tilt back, rather than just the front teeth, so my orthodontist decided to just pull it back into alignment with braces and elastics, and less than one month later my teeth were back to perfect. But, now 8 months later we're just waiting to make sure the jaw heals, so I'm getting the braces off in June. Since I had essix retainers before, I think I'll either go hawley or bonded this time, or maybe a combination of the two.

[Dani1983]

I have an anterior open bite and was given three options by my ortho. A mess of elastic configurations was one of them but she warned me that retention would be difficult and the results not as predictable. I decided to go with the miniscrews and am scheduled to get those on 5/26. The third (most predictable) option was surgery and I was not prepared to go that route.

Perhaps your situation is less severe than mine (see my braces story for before pics) and that's why your ortho feels elastics will be sufficient for you. I felt my ortho was trying to steer me away from them. Good Luck!

[stacatkins]

I was diagnosed with both an open bite and cross bite, and I'm currently undergoing treatment with only braces and elastics. My orthodontist did tell me that if I prolonged treatment it would get worse, and I would have to have surgery.

Like you, I have to wear my elastics in a triangular shape to create a seal for my bite. I've had them on for about five months now, and my teeth have shifted dramatically. My top teeth have shifted downward, my bite is starting to close in the front, and my midline is finally where it should be.

Next week I'm having something called cha cha's placed on the back of my front teeth so that I'll stop pushing my tongue toward the back of my teeth when I swallow.

I've been told repeatedly that my success is solely determined by changing my tongue-thrusting habits, but I'm hoping for the best.

[Nicole]

I got my braces on in January. I was diagnosed with a open bite and cross bite... my ortho fixed the cross bite already... which helped my open bite a little bit. But I am still a candidate for surgery... unfortunately surgery is expensive and a little scary... so my dentist promised he would try everything he could to fix it without... so he has placed 6 mini screws in ... and i have seen a small change in space since I got them in. but next is elastics! =)

[beth1966]

I have an anterior open bite, a Bi-lateral posterior crossbite and slight
overjet.

I have met with a number of orthodontists and not one ever suggested surgery for me. My issues can be fixed with braces - some say rubber bands will be necessary, others say they are not sure.

[staceyr2]

I don't have a traditional open bite, mine is on one side around the premolar area. Other side all teeth meet nicely. I have a deep bite in front. Almost all of the orthos I consulted said surgery, but only vaguely said it would be to reduce the gums. No one ever specifially told me I had that open bite because the deep bite in front was more severe I guess. Anyhow, my ortho has reduce my deep bite some, and is using elastics to bring my open bite on the side together, but it kinda looks like its starting to cross (tops closing to inside of bottoms) but I still think the other side is lined up nicely with the little bit of overlap (tops slightly out further than bottoms). Is it normal to create a crossbite trying to fix the open bite? It seems like it is easier to fix the crossbite, so maybe I shouldn't worry too much. I have been through a few times of things being made apparently worse before they could get better.

[madalama]

[quote="Zeppguy73"]figured I'd share since I'm a 21 yo open bite, slight relapse case. After having braces for about 4 years and getting them off when I was 13, my teeth were perfect. That is up until about three or four years ago. I noticed my retainers weren't fitting when I bit down, but were when I kept my teeth apart. Apparently, over a period of growth spurts, my upper jaw had decided to tilt back. However, the whole jaw tilt back, rather than just the front teeth, so my orthodontist decided to just pull it back into alignment with braces and elastics, and less than one month later my teeth were back to perfect. But, now 8 months later we're just waiting to make sure the jaw heals, so I'm getting the braces off in June. Since I had essix retainers before, I think I'll either go hawley or bonded this time, or maybe a combination of the two.[/quote]

This is basically what I'm going through right now but in a shorter time frame (btw, i'm so glad I've finally found someone whose gone through something similar). I'm wondering (if you even read this) since it's been a couple of years now, did braces and the elastics work?

I'm 20 right now and got my braces off a year ago. I had crowding on my top teeth (went through Surgically Assisted Rapid Palette Expander Surgery to expand my jaw), an open (braces and rubber bands were able to close it) and an under bite (wore head gear for a few months). Yesterday, at my one year check up I told my ortho of some concerns I had which are that I noticed my bite isn't as closed so possibly my open bite is coming back, there is a creaking noise when I open and close my jaw, my teeth are starting to shift even though i wear my retainers, and my teeth seem to be rising, too. He checked my retainer and said that it fits fine and confirmed that my open bite is coming back which is linked to the creaking of my jaw - known as crepitus. He said that he'd put braces back on me and use rubber bands like we did before but once it closes again he'll keep them on longer to help it retain in that spot. I'm really hoping that this will permanently close my bite and my open bite won't come back again. Also, I hope this works because I'd really prefer not to have surgery. Anyone have any ideas or have gone through the same thing?

[BrAcEfAcE45]

I was diagnosed with both an open bite and cross bite, and I'm currently undergoing treatment with only braces and elastics. My orthodontist did tell me that if I prolonged treatment it would get worse, and I would have to have surgery.

Like you, I have to wear my elastics in a triangular shape to create a seal for my bite. I've had them on for about five months now, and my teeth have shifted dramatically. My top teeth have shifted downward, my bite is starting to close in the front, and my midline is finally where it should be.

Next week I'm having something called cha cha's placed on the back of my front teeth so that I'll stop pushing my tongue toward the back of my teeth when I swallow.

I've been told repeatedly that my success is solely determined by changing my tongue-thrusting habits, but I'm hoping for the best.

The prongs on the back of my front teeth are doing wonders for my tongue thrusting habit already and I just got them Thursday morning. They hurt like h*ll and my tongue aches from the hard work of placing it the correct position but I really feel like they will make an enormous difference in my future smile.

[Natasha]

I read your blog, as I have recently had braces put on to correct and open bite where I was only contacting on one tooth on one side I have not come across anyone else with any such bite, you're the closest I've come across. I'm very nervous about this whole ordeal and I'm not sure if I've even made the right decision going ahead with this. You had your treatment in 2009 so you would be a great source of information for me.

Can you please tell me how you're treatment went as you would be finished by now and are you happy with the result? So far I've had 2 adjustments and have not felt happy with them, the last adjustment has caused me to experience terrible jaw and facial pain. Please let me know how you went, thank you.