Common Treatments & Real Results
Wondering what orthodontic treatment can actually do? Here's the before and after on nine of the most common cases, and how each one was corrected.
Every smile below started with one of the common problems we treat, and each case shows why timing matters: some were corrected early with simple appliances, while others waited until adulthood and needed longer or more involved treatment. Wondering about your own timing? See when to see an orthodontist.
Before and after cases
Crowding of the Teeth
When teeth don't have enough room to erupt, they overlap and twist out of line. Creating space, and guiding the teeth into it, transforms both the look of the smile and how easy it is to keep clean.
Spacing of the Teeth
This patient was bothered by the spaces between his teeth. Treatment closed the gaps and brought the teeth together into an even, confident smile.
Overjet (Protruding Front Teeth)
At age ten, this patient had a big overjet with the top teeth protruding beyond the bottom. She had two phases of treatment: the first helped her jaws grow more harmoniously, and the second aligned her teeth and bite. At age 13, she was proudly displaying her new smile.
Deep Overbite
This adult patient, age 25, required braces and jaw surgery to correct his severe overbite, with treatment taking two years. His problem could have been corrected without surgery if he had been treated before he was a teenager, a case for early evaluation if there ever was one.
Open Bite
Her front teeth didn't touch, so she started treatment at age 13. She had braces and a special appliance, called a crib, to retrain the tongue, for 28 months. Now she can bite the lettuce out of a sandwich.
Underbite
This patient's underbite was causing her jaw joint discomfort and excessive wear patterns on her teeth. After about 30 months of treatment starting at age 32, she now finds smiling and chewing much easier. Proof that it's never too late to start.
Missing Lateral Incisors
This patient's lateral incisors were congenitally missing. She had braces for 20 months to move the teeth into their correct positions, then the missing teeth were replaced with bonded "Maryland" bridges, orthodontics and dentistry working as a team.
Non-Braces Treatment
Sometimes braces are not needed to get noticeable improvements in tooth alignment. This patient was first seen at age seven for crowding of the lower permanent teeth. A procedure was performed to reduce the width of the adjacent baby teeth, and the permanent incisors aligned on their own in nine months.
Phase One Treatment
This patient's parents were concerned about both aesthetics and the health of the erupting permanent teeth when they brought him in at age eight. The lower front teeth were crowded and touching the palate, and the upper front teeth were extremely displaced. Phase One treatment guided the bite back on track while the jaw was still growing.
Notice a pattern? The earlier a problem is caught, the simpler the fix tends to be, that's why the American Association of Orthodontists recommends a first check-up around age 7. But as the adult cases above show, a healthier bite is achievable at any age.
Your Before & After Starts Here
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