How Can Clear Aligners Correct an Overbite?

An overbite affects your looks, speech, oral health, and ability to chew food. Therefore, you must visit a dental office for treatment. The dentist may recommend traditional braces or clear aligners to correct the issue. Read on to learn how the dentist in Scottsdale, AZ corrects overbites with clear aligners.

What Are Overbites?

They are malocclusions that occur when your top teeth significantly overlap your bottom teeth. You may have a horizontal overbite where your upper teeth protrude excessively forward over your lower ones. Alternatively, you may have vertical overbites where the upper teeth extend down over your lower teeth. Both types of overbite can be fixed with clear aligner treatment.

An overbite can occur if your lower jaw is smaller than the upper one. As a result, your lower teeth will rest behind the upper teeth. When a child sucks on their thumb or pacifier for a long time, they may get an overbite. Also, you can have overbites if you have a tongue-thrusting habit, bite your nails, or chew on ice or pens.

They affect adults and kids, causing speech impediments and difficulty closing or opening the mouth fully. When you have an overbite, you may also have jaw pain and discomfort when eating. In addition, overbites make it difficult to maintain proper dental hygiene.

Also, they increase the risks of sleep apnea and temporomandibular joint disorder. In addition, overbites can lead to enamel erosion, gum damage, decay, and other dental issues. Finally, they affect your looks, causing you to feel self-conscious when smiling.

Treating overbites improves your appearance and enhances your self-esteem. It eases the pain and discomfort when you eat and helps you maintain excellent oral hygiene. Treatment also corrects speech impediments and prevents chipping and cracking of teeth. Also, it prevents excessive wear when teeth rub on each other becoming short and thinner.

How Clear Aligners Correct Overbites

Clear aligners are custom-made orthodontic appliances made of strong transparent material. They work by exerting gentle pressure on the jaw and teeth. During the initial consultation, your dentist will evaluate your smile. First, they will determine whether clear aligners suit your overbite. Then, they will show you a digital preview of your new smile after treatment.

Next, they will take 3D scans of your teeth using advanced computer technology and fabricate customized aligners. They make 26 clear braces for the entire treatment. You will wear each aligner for a minimum of 20 hours daily for several months. After that, you will only remove them to clean your mouth and eat or drink hot or colored beverages.

The dentist will give you a new set of aligners every 2-4 weeks until treatment is complete. Each group is designed to move teeth progressively until the overbite is corrected. This cosmetic dentistry treatment takes 9 to 12 months to realign the teeth properly.

Clear aligners can correct an overbite by moving the upper teeth upwards or lower teeth downwards. They intercept your teeth, moving them into the proper position. As your teeth move, the gums, too, will move so that your smile is proportional. At the end of your treatment, the worn edges of your teeth are repaired. Also, the upper teeth are contoured for best results.

Can Clear Aligners Correct All Overbites?

Not all overbites can be corrected with clear aligners. For example, if you have a major overbite, clear aligners may not help you. Also, if you have multiple teeth misalignment issues, these aligners may not help you. In addition, if your overbite is caused by genetics, it cannot be corrected with clear aligners. Instead, the dentist will consider other treatment options.

They may recommend traditional or ceramic braces, dental extractions, or surgery. Braces move teeth more forcefully than clear aligners and successfully treat overbites. The dentist will attach your braces to other orthodontic appliances for severe overbites.

Alternatively, the dentist may prefer removing a tooth to treat an overbite. Extraction gives other teeth in the jaw space to move and realign properly. Surgery is the last option and is usually performed to fix overbites caused by skeletal irregularities.

Do you want to treat your overbite with clear braces? Then, contact us at Mercado Dental for a state-of-the-art orthodontic approach. We will treat your overbite with precision and expertise for a straight smile.