Crowding of the teeth
Patient started treatment at age eleven. Note the broadening of the arch form to uncrowd instead of extraction. Treatment time for this type of case is usually 15-18 months.
Deep overbite: Lower front teeth bite into palate
This adult patient (age twenty-five) required braces and jaw surgery to correct his severe overbite. SureSmile has allowed us to treat cases like these in 15 months or less. His problem could have been corrected without surgery if he had been treated before he was a teenager.
Missing lateral incisors
This patient's lateral incisors were congenitally missing. She had braces to move the teeth into the correct position, then the missing teeth were replaced with bonded "Maryland" bridges or implants and crowns.
Underbite: Lower front teeth in front of upper teeth.
Patient's underbite was causing her jaw joint discomfort and excessive wear patterns on her teeth. If the lower jaw is not too long then changing the underbite can take about 15 months. If the bones are too far off then a combination of braces and jaw surgery may be required.
Spacing of teeth
Patient was bothered by the spaces between his teeth. Braces closed the spaces and gave him an ideal bite in about 18 months. Special glued-in retainers help to keep the spaces closed. Sometimes thse are best treated by aligning in preparation for veneers by the dentist.
Overbite: Protruding front teeth
At age ten, patient had a big overbite with the top teeth protruding beyond the bottom. She had two phases of treatment. The first helped her jaws to grow more harmoniously; the second aligned her teeth and bite. At age thirteen, she was proudly displaying her new smile.
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 I
Patient's parents were concerned about both aesthetics and the health of the erupting permanent teeth when they brought him to the orthodontist at age eight. The lower front teeth were crowded and they touched the palate, and the upper front teeth were extremely displaced from their normal positions. After twenty months of Phase I treatment with an expander and partial braces, patient's appearance and dental function was vastly improved.