Top teeth stick out

Concern:

This male teenager presented concerned with ‘bucky’ or ‘protrusive’ front teeth.

Examination showed his upper front teeth sitting 9mm forward of his lower front teeth [increased overjet] and excessive overlapping of his front teeth [deep overbite]. His upper and lower teeth were straight but didn’t bite together well. Two baby teeth in the lower jaw were still present with the underlying adult teeth developing and impacted [see embedded 3D images].

Treatment Performed:

The male teenager was referred back to his dentist for removal of his two [over] retained lower baby teeth to allow for eruption of the underlying replacement adult teeth.

Two approaches for treatment were proposed:

1. Two  phase approach: Removable functional appliance  followed by braces [estimated treatment time 36-48 months]
2. Single phase approach: Braces [estimated treatment time 24 months]

It was decided to proceed with single phase treatment [braces]. Treatment was undertaken without removal of adult teeth.

Elastic bands were worn for the first 9 months of treatment.  As the bite/fit of his teeth was not improving, the elastics were discontinued and replaced with springs. Springs are high tech, inbuilt [not removable by the patient once added], pre-programmed devices that deliver consistent gentle forces to the teeth and jaws to achieve bite correction. The addition of springs produced a dramatic and rapid improvement in his bite. Treatment was completed in 21 months.

Result:

Not only was the fit of the teeth corrected, chin projection [the position of the chin in the profile] was improved. A wonderful result and enhanced smile were achieved. No need to worry about those ‘bucky’ teeth anymore!