All You Need to Know About Invisalign for Overbite

Invisalign treatment can help many people with bite or alignment problems. However, you need a personalized assessment to find out if it can help to improve your smile. To provide you with more information about Invisalign, our team at Matthews Family Dentistry has created this FAQ about Invisalign and its ability to help overbite.

What Is the Invisalign System?

The Invisalign system is a set of almost invisible, clear trays that you wear over your teeth for up to 22 hours a day. The trays gently hold your teeth into better alignment. Each week you will change to a new set of trays for your teeth to progressively move the teeth into their finished position, correcting many dental alignment issues.

Only specially qualified and trained dentists can fit patients with the Invisalign system. These dentists have scanning equipment used to take multiple pictures and scans of your mouth for the Invisalign lab to create customized aligner trays that will precisely fit your teeth. The fit of the aligner trays is important because the trays need to make slow adjustments to your teeth. These subtle movements minimize discomfort and maximize results.

The hallmark of the Invisalign system is its use of clear trays that others cannot see. It is a good alternative to metal braces for many people who will adhere closely to wearing the trays for 20 to 22 hours every day throughout the treatment process.

Can Anyone Use Invisalign?

Invisalign is not the best solution for every patient. Our dentists at Matthews Family Dentistry will let you know if you are a good candidate for Invisalign. Generally, adults, teens, and tweens with bite or alignment issues are the best groups to use this system because they are most compliant with wearing the trays.

For correcting bite issues, such as overbite, tweens, and teens are the best groups for treatment because Invisalign can help fix the bite during growth to ensure proper alignment into adulthood. Adults can have overbites corrected with Invisalign but may require longer treatments.

What Is an Overbite?

Most people have an overbite when the top teeth go over the front teeth.  Some people with an excessive overbite may also have a “deep bite”.  Dentists evaluate overbites by percentage. Some amount is normal, even ideal, but too high of a percentage can cause problems.

If the top teeth are positioned too far in front of the lower teeth, you may experience issues such as worn tooth surfaces, dental pain, or jaw ache. If you have symptoms from an overbite, you likely will need treatment.

Can Invisalign Fix Overbite?

An overbite is one of the many bite issues that Invisalign can help with. The mandibular advancement precision wings on the sides of the aligner trays help the bottom jaw to move forward in alignment with the top jaw. Over the treatment process, the bottom teeth will eventually align with the top, correcting the overbite.

Ideally, patients with mild to moderate degrees of overbite have the greatest levels of success using Invisalign to correct their jaw alignment issues.

During treatment to correct your bite, Invisalign may also help correct gaps or overcrowding in your teeth. The trays can slowly move these teeth horizontally, vertically, or rotated to put them into a position to give you your best smile. During your initial assessment, let the dentist know the smile problems you want to correct. They can then use the scans they take to show you a computerized image of what your teeth will look like after the successful completion of Invisalign.

What Happens During the Invisalign Treatment Process?

Your first step in improving an overbite with Invisalign is a consultation with your dentist. They will examine your teeth and jaw to determine if Invisalign can help. If it works for you, they will take scans and pictures of your teeth to create a computer simulation of the process, so you can see the changes the treatment will make over time. The information is also how the lab creates your individualized aligner trays.

Once your aligner trays arrive, you will wear the first one for one to two weeks, as recommended by your dentist. You change to the next tray in the sequence and continue until you’ve gone through the entire treatment package. However, during the process, you will also have periodic checkups with your dentist to ensure the aligner trays are doing their job in correcting your overbite and straightening your teeth.

Is Invisalign Painful?

Many people who have worn braces mention the pain they can cause from metal pieces cutting their mouths or highly uncomfortable adjustments. Invisalign trays don’t cause pain, but when switching to a new tray, you may feel minor pressure or discomfort as your teeth adjust to the new position. If you experience pain, you need to talk to your dentist because you may have skipped a tray or have a dental issue that needs addressing.

How Long Does Invisalign Take to Fix Overbite?

Teens and tweens get faster results with this system. However, adults can see success with mild to moderate overbite correction from Invisalign. Since adult jaws are completely grown, the treatment time may take longer.

Your treatment time is individualized based on your age, the amount of growth your jaw has completed, and the degree of an overbite that you have. Even if you require several months of treatment, you should start to see visible changes in your jaw and tooth alignment within a few months.

When prescribing the Invisalign trays to you, your dentist will tell you the timeline for your specific treatment. The time will coincide with the number of aligner trays you use during the treatment. So, if you require longer treatment, you will likely need to wear more trays over time.

See If Invisalign Will Help You with a Consultation at Matthews Family Dentistry

Invisalign for overbite treatment can help many people, but you won’t know if it will help you unless you get a dental assessment. We can help you determine if Invisalign is the best option for correcting your overbite. Plus, we can provide other cosmetic procedures after you finish the Invisalign process to give you the best possible smile. Let our team at Matthews Family Dentistry help you to smile with greater confidence.

Contact us at Matthews Family Dentistry to schedule a consultation with one of our Invisalign specialists.