Let’s face it; everybody would love to have a smile like Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, or another A-lister. But if you have a facial or orthodontic issue that causes the lower half of your face to protrude, like an underbite, achieving a Hollywood-worthy smile might feel like a dream.
If you have an underbite, misaligned teeth, or a lower jaw protrusion affecting your health or well-being, you should rectify it immediately. Yet, underbites are significantly less common than overbites, so you might wonder how to fix an underbite.
Fortunately, there are various surgical and nonsurgical treatments for those affected by underbites depending on the severity of the person concerned. From using invisible aligners and getting braces, we outline several of the most popular treatments in our article below.
Invisible Aligners
When it comes to orthodontics, the one thing that we fear most is braces. So, in the back of your mind, you might be thinking about how to fix an underbite without braces. The good news is that it is possible, provided that your underbite is due to misaligned teeth; however, if a skeletal problem causes it, your best treatment route might be a surgical option in conjunction with aligners.
If you’d like to learn more about how aligners could be an effective treatment for an underbite, consider visiting providers’ websites like ALIGNERCO. Visit their website to learn more about their at-home aligner kits, or contact them directly for specific inquiries and see how their products could help you reduce the appearance of your underbite today.
Braces
The most common treatment for an underbite is braces (and the most feared!). Generally, braces work similarly to aligners, as they exert constant pressure on the teeth/jaw until, over time, bone remodeling is encouraged, and the smile/jaw is altered.
As the appliance is tightened throughout the treatment, your jaw aligns with your teeth, clearing up your underbite for good. Plus, braces have come a long way, and now various options are available for those who want to avoid the unsightly ‘metal mouth’ look.
You can choose various braces, from ceramic and lingual braces to self-ligating and traditional metal ones. However, depending on your choice, the price can increase to as much as $10,000 if you want to go for the super-discreet lingual ones, making them a not-so-affordable option.
Jaw Surgery
If your underbite is particularly severe, you might have no choice but to go the surgical route. However, even if your dentist recommends jaw surgery, your orthodontic treatment won’t start and end once you’ve had the surgery. In the build-up to your surgery date, your orthodontist will need to prepare your mouth/teeth for its new home, which means they might extract teeth and even make you wear braces before, during, and after your surgery.
Typically, there are several kinds of jaw surgery, and your orthodontist will choose the best option depending on your underbite severity. The most popular types are double jaw surgery, mandibular osteotomy, and maxillary osteotomy, after which you’ll need to stay in hospital care for one to four days so that your recovery can be monitored.