Another dental topic- correcting underbite?

[bjscheel]

Who has had your own or your child's underbite corrected? What was involved and how horrible was it? DD9 has one and the dentist is thinking about an appliance for her, which I thought would be like a retainer, but looking online it may be something that is "installed" And may possibly involve a "facemask" at night

On the other hand, who has NOT done something about an underbite and are there regrets? I actually had a bad underbite as a child and it went away as my adult teeth came in. I just don't know if that could possibly happen with her too if we attempt to put off orthodontic treatment.

 

[lisah0711]

DS 11 is just about to have his growth appliance installed. The orthodontist can show you what they use and explain how it works. When I saw what a difference it would make on the computer there was no question in my mind that it is something that needs to be done.

Does your DD have a lot of her permanent teeth in already? If not, maybe waiting is not an issue. Talk to the orthodontist. If you are still concerned after speaking with your orthodontist, get a second opinion.

Good luck!

 

[handinpocket]

I would gratefully stick my child in a "facemask" at night, if it would prevent them from looking like Beavis and Butthead (the classic underbite look).

 

[bjscheel]

I would say she has quite a few baby teeth still. My kids are late to lose teeth, so I am hoping that there is still a chance for at least partial correction. The dentist had said age 8 is the ideal time to correct it, so I didn't know if they usually do wait for all teeth to grow in. He was thinking doing something in early spring, so we have not been to an orthodontist yet. Just doing some thinking.

Has anybody else had one correct itself or I am just an oddity?

 

[golfgal]

By underbite do you mean the lower jaw is not growing right or do you mean the lower jaw sticks out farther then the upper jaw?

If it is the first, I had issues with this and wore an appliance all through high school. I was supposed to have surgery to break my jaw and slide it forward but never did for what ever reason. We moved when I was in high school and our new dentist suggested this appliance. Before I had this I could put my pinky finger in past my upper teeth up to my second knuckle before I hit my lower teeth. Now my bite is right where it should be.

 

[mjkacmom]

My dd14 started around 9, with a palate expander. She had spacing issues and a crossbite. She got her braces on more than 2 years ago, and she's not done yet. With some issues, it's easier to fix them when jaw hasn't stopped growing yet. The orthodontist will do xrays, to get a better idea of how big the permanant teeth are. We were told to wait and see with ds12 (whether he would need them or not), but at his last dentist visit, his bite was off (otherwise, he just wouldn't have had perfectly straight teeth - our orthodontist lets us know if it's purely cosmetic).

 

[NotUrsula]

I had a pronounced underbite as a small child. You'll never believe what the dentist recommended to treat it: three lollipops daily!

Yep, sugar! (tee-hee) This was recommended when I was about 4; he told my mom to have me put them in my mouth and suck on them while pushing the lollipop firmly against the backs of the upper teeth with my tongue. I was supposed to do this exercise for an hour, 3X daily (thus the three lollipops.) It actually worked; the underbite was gone by the time my permanent front teeth all came in.

I suspect that any dentist who recommended three straight hours of sugar in a child's mouth per day would be drummed out of the profession now. Forty-five years ago the assumption was more that baby teeth were disposable; Dentists in my working-class world didn't seem to care too much if they got a bit of decay and ended up with a filling or two. They didn't get strict about the sugar thing until you started getting your permanent teeth in.

 

[SpecialK]

My nephew had an underbite. He had braces in early high school and wore headgear at night.

Fast forward a couple of years and a final growth spurt, and the underbite comes
back. New orthodontist gave two options: surgery or another set of braces. He had to have braces again during his first two years of college and now has a beautiful smile.

Whatever you do, I would recommend you consult an orthodontist before taking any action.

 

[bjscheel]

NotUrsula- that's very interesting! Maybe something other than a lollipop would be better, but at least it worked for you! PS- you need to post one more time and make it an even 10,000 posts!

Of course we will consult an ortho when the dentist says it's time. Just gathering people's experiences for now.

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

I had a pronounced underbite as a small child. You'll never believe what the dentist recommended to treat it: three lollipops daily!

Yep, sugar! (tee-hee) This was recommended when I was about 4; he told my mom to have me put them in my mouth and suck on them while pushing the lollipop firmly against the backs of the upper teeth with my tongue. I was supposed to do this exercise for an hour, 3X daily (thus the three lollipops.) It actually worked; the underbite was gone by the time my permanent front teeth all came in.

I had an underbite as a child, too...when my top adult front teeth came in, they were sitting behind my bottom teeth. My dentist gave me a tongue depressor, and told me to put it behind my top teeth and ply it outwards whenever I was watching tv. In about three weeks I was able to get my front teeth over my bottom teeth.

 

[handinpocket]

I had an underbite as a child, too...when my top adult front teeth came in, they were sitting behind my bottom teeth. My dentist gave me a tongue depressor, and told me to put it behind my top teeth and ply it outwards whenever I was watching tv. In about three weeks I was able to get my front teeth over my bottom teeth.

That isn't an underbite. An underbite is a class II malocclusion, where the chin isn't developed and the bottom teeth are significantly behind the upper teeth. You are describing a class III malocclusion.

 

[Alex&Evan'sMom]

I would ask around for a good reputable orthodontist and consult with him. My 9 year old just had his palate expander put in one week ago. He has a cross bite and teeth crowding and seems to be developing the same dental issues that my husband has. He will have it for 6 months and it is bonded in his mouth. It could very well be followed by braces. He is not too thrilled with us right now and the cost(not covered by insurance) wasn't cheap but knowing that he won't have the problems that my husband has makes it totally worth it. And I know one day he will be happy that we made this choice and proud of his beautiful smile.

 

[SpecialK]

That isn't an underbite. An underbite is a class II malocclusion, where the chin isn't developed and the bottom teeth are significantly behind the upper teeth. You are describing a class III malocclusion.

"There are different categories of malocclusion.

Class 1 malocclusion is the most common. The bite is normal, but the upper teeth slightly overlap the lower teeth.
Class 2 malocclusion, called retrognathism or overbite, occurs when the upper jaw and teeth severely overlap the bottom jaw and teeth.
Class 3 malocclusion, called prognathism or underbite, occurs when the lower jaw protrudes or juts forward, causing the lower jaw and teeth to overlap the upper jaw and teeth."

Class 3 is an underbite. Class 2 - what you're describing - is an overbite.