Can my overjet be corrected after a previously failed orthodontic treatment?

Question

Hello doctor,

I had braces for overjet correction some seven years back, but that was not so favorable. Recently I went to another dentist to correct the overjet. But my dentist told me that since I do not have enough space in my upper jaw, I would be unable to correct my overjet forever. Is there any other option to correct my overjet? I also had three premolar extraction during the first treatment.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern. You had your initial treatment at the age of 12 years (7 years ago). That time three premolars were extracted, and space closure was done after leveling and alignment. Please answer the following questions. Were you given any treatment choice earlier, or were you directly asked for three teeth extraction? Was something about jaw growth using appliances mentioned to you? In cases where the patient is still growing (age around 13 to 14 years for females and 15 to 16 years for males) and overjet is large (mostly seen in skeletal class II cases), it is advised to undergo a myofunctional therapy as phase one of the treatment, followed by fixed appliance treatment (braces or aligners) as phase two of the treatment and finishing off with retainers as phase three of treatment. Under phase one, an appliance is given to the patient to wear, stimulating jaw growth, and overjet is reduced. After phase one, the fixed appliance details the treatment, and later, they are removed to start with retainers. Phase one reduces the skeletal differences between the upper and lower jaws, which reduces the overjet. The rest of it is managed with braces or aligners. In your case, I think you were not provided with myofunctional therapy. Instead, straightaway started with braces (camouflage treatment), wherein three premolars were extracted to manage the case dentally without emphasizing skeletal correction. This sometimes leads to poor esthetics and facial balance of the patient. These are generally done when a patient has Class II subdivision malocclusion in which one side of the patient has a class I relation while the other has a class II relation. Two teeth from the upper arch are removed, and one from the lower arch is removed. The advantage here is that we can close more of the overjet here. But you still seem unsatisfied with your dental relations. To advise you better and understand your case more precisely, I would like to look at your teeth. Kindly share certain photos as mentioned below, and I will give you a more customized plan. Please send teeth frontal (smiling), right and left side of the teeth (wide smile to capture as many teeth as possible). Feel free to reach out for further queries or clarifications. Hope this helps. Thank you and take care.