How do Braces Affect Your Face?

Orthodontic treatment is about more than just straightening the teeth. It also involves improving the relationship between the upper and lower arch so the teeth can come together properly. By bringing the teeth and jaws into alignment, braces and Invisalign® can have a positive impact on your face shape and features. For a mild case, such as mild spaces or crowding, the smile may be the only noticeable improvement of your face. However, in more severe cases, such as with an underbite or overbite, the facial appearance can be negatively impacted due to a jaw imbalance. Once the teeth and jaws are aligned, the facial and smile enhancement is much more dramatic. Orthodontists are experts in balancing function and aesthetics, meaning they have the know-how to correct misalignment in a way that boosts your oral health and appearance.

If you look at someone’s face before and after braces, they still look like themselves but the goal is to bring out the best in their smile and features. This does take a lot of planning and precision, which is why you should see a certified specialist in orthodontics for treatment, especially one who takes a high-tech approach. At Innovative Orthodontic Centers, our Naperville orthodontists Dr. Ibrahim and Dr. Gin are big believers in computerized treatment planning. They’re able to manipulate a virtual 3D model of your mouth to plan out when and where each individual tooth will move until they get the position of the teeth relative to the smile and bite, making sure the jaws are just right. They design the perfect smile for your unique facial and dental features and anatomy.

Face Changes After Braces or Invisalign

It’s pretty rare that a person’s face is perfectly symmetrical and it’s often barely noticeable that it’s not. However, occasionally, there can be significant discrepancies that begin in the jaw. In these cases, braces and Invisalign can vastly improve an asymmetrical face. A lot of how we perceive symmetry and face shape has to do with angles too. We’ve been asked questions like do braces change your nose? The answer is not directly. However, by shifting the teeth and jaws, this alters the angles between the lips and nose, which can make the nose look a little different. At Innovative Orthodontic Centers, we pride ourselves on being detail oriented and taking into account factors like how the shape of the face changes as you get older, so that we can create a stunning smile and facial profile that lasts a lifetime.

One thing to consider when talking about face changes after braces or Invisalign is that age is an important factor. In younger patients who are still growing and developing, we can much more easily manipulate the jaw and facial structure. In fact, sometimes, the main purpose of early interceptive orthodontics is to balance a child’s facial features by guiding jaw growth. Orthopedic appliances like the Herbst or palatal expanders can be incredibly helpful in doing this. For adults who are done growing, orthodontic treatment can still be extremely effective for attempting to improve extreme facial imbalances and discrepancies.

Common Examples

Underbite – With an underbite, the bottom teeth sit in front of the top teeth. This causes the lower jaw to stick out. In this case, your face before and after braces can look noticeably different. By correcting the imbalance between the upper and lower jaw and fixing the way the teeth and jaws meet, the lower half of your face will appear more harmonious. Your features will look a lot softer and more proportionate.

Overbite – This is another type of malocclusion where Invisalign or braces change the jawline for the better. When the top teeth stick out too far ahead of the bottom teeth, it creates the appearance of a “weak” chin and sunken cheeks. By helping the arches come together correctly and aligning the bite, it creates a more balanced facial profile and gives you a stronger chin and jawline.

Open Bite – When you have an open bite, the front teeth don’t come together at all. When you try to close your lips, you have to stretch them to fit over the teeth. This makes the face have a long shape and causes major issues with speech and eating. Invisalign and braces will allow the front teeth to contact, improving your smile and function, and even giving the cheeks you have always dreamed of.

Other Types of Malocclusion – Any type of malocclusion, including a crossbite or just generally crooked teeth problems, can distort your face shape or features. Aligning the teeth gives you a healthy, beautiful smile that serves as a focal point on your face and creates harmony with the rest of your facial features.

The way Invisalign and braces affect your face can simply be a nice perk of orthodontic treatment or it can be one of the main objectives from the start. It will depend on your case and the outcome we’re trying to achieve. When you visit Innovative Orthodontic Centers for a consultation, Dr. Ibrahim and Dr. Gin will use digital scans of your teeth to create a smile simulation that shows you what your smile and face shape will look like at the beginning and end of treatment. We’ll even email it to you so you can check it out at home too. This way, there are no surprises and you feel confident knowing we’ll help you look and feel your best. If you’re ready to give your oral health and appearance a boost with Shorewood or Naperville braces or Invisalign treatment, schedule your free consultation at Innovative Orthodontic Centers today! Book your visit online or by calling us at (630) 848-6960.