Can lower jaw be moved forward using braces or Invisalign?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern. Sorry to hear about the sleep apnea issues. How frequently do you experience sleep apnea issues, and how long do they sustain in the episode? Yes, the lower jaw (mandible) can be brought forward as one of the options to improve the airway volume, which in turn will help you to breathe better. This can be done via braces and Invisalign both. With braces, we can go for surgical correction by repositioning the mandible, improving the airway. With Invisalign, we can go for a mandibular advancement treatment plan to help take the mandible forward. You should get a checkup with a qualified orthodontist to evaluate the features, and accordingly, we can discuss the treatment plan options. Based on the current bite positions and the amount of jaw forward required, we can plan the forward movement without causing side effects. I would like to have images (frontal teeth smiling photo and side profile photo) to evaluate the current conditions. Feel free to reach out for further clarifications. Hope this helps. Thanks and take care.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern. Yes, we can plan the movements according to the needs of the patient. Moving teeth back while taking the jaw forward (in general terms) is possible. This happens because we tend to upright the lower teeth and, along with it, take the lower jaw forward. So, the bite remains the same, and the jaw is moved forward. In general, when we take the lower jaw forward with appliances, lower teeth tend to flare out, which will worsen the situation in your case. So, I feel that using just appliances with braces would not suffice the requirements. Better would be a surgical correction along with braces or Invisalign, as we have the controls on how teeth should be placed. Depending on the current situation of teeth and jaw, a more precise plan can be advised to you. The mentioned plans work better only if your teeth are flared out or upright. In such a case, we can end up with upright to a bit of collapsed teeth (inclined towards the tongue). If your teeth are already a bit collapsed, then I doubt whether the plans will work. Hope this gives you a better clarity on your situation. I would be able to help better if photos were shared.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern. Lower teeth are in a vertical direction, and lower jaw is in a horizontal direction. Therefore, there is an angle formed between them. In general, it is advised to have a 90-degree relation between them (an upright lower incisor). But a range of 85 to 95 degrees is considered normal. When the angle is higher than 90 degrees, they tend to incline towards the lip side, which is called flaring, and when lower than 90 degrees, they incline towards the tongue side, which is collapsed teeth (retroclined teeth). With the various jaw forward procedures, the tendency for teeth to flare out increases. Meaning the angle increases to the higher side. In cases where we have retroclined or upright teeth, it will tend to flare out, but we can afford it as long as it is within normal limits. When teeth are already flared, it will become even more, which becomes a problem for us, and it is not advisable in such cases or must be done with extra precautions. And after the forward jaw process, work is done on the incisor to make it toward the upright side. The appliance that can be used here is the Invisalign mandibular advancement treatment plan. In this, Invisalign will plan the forward movement of the jaw along with other dental corrections. With braces, you can have a fixed functional appliance for the same purpose. But these are more effective when done towards the end of the growth potential of the patient. This is around 14 to 15 years for females and 15 to 17 years for males. So, complete success with these cannot be guaranteed. Hence, a surgical process was also recommended. With "surgical" braces, what I meant was having an orthognathic surgery to correct the jaw position and braces to do the final and detailed micro correction of the teeth. It will require planning for the surgery to shift the jaw forward, by how much, where to place screws, and everything else to be decided. First, pre-surgical orthodontics will be done, so teeth assist in the forward jaw process. Then, surgery will be done under general anesthesia, followed by a post-surgical correction. It is understandable that you are not willing to share the photos. We do understand patient concerns. Please note that these are general suggestions and not very precise one. When you visit an orthodontist, he might differ from the ones provided here depending on their judgment and actual diagnosis of the case. Hope this helps. Thanks and take care.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern. Yes, we can extract molars (advisable would be extraction of wisdom teeth or 3rd molars) and retract (pull back) all your teeth. This process would be called mandibular en-masse distalization. Assuming all the factors for distalization are favorable, two screws will be placed towards the end of the lower teeth (called buccal shelf screws or BSS), and we will be using them as anchors to pull the teeth. Please use these terms as options for your orthodontist; it will make their task easier. But I would suggest asking for more details about these treatment options; in-hand details of these options would be better. Then, you can visually understand what we are discussing. With molars extraction, you can expect a backward shift of the teeth by about 7 to 9 mm, and about this much only you can expect a forward jaw process. And a forward of 7 to 9 mm is also considered a lot in orthodontics though there are cases where a forward of more than 15 mm or so is also done surgically. But those have been severe cases. Please note that these are the ideal situations we are discussing, which might not fit your case or may even be the best-fit option. Hope this helps. Thanks and take care.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I read your query and can understand your concern. We have discussed dental features. Please keep in check other factors related to sleep apnea as well. Weight body activity, BMI (body mass index), moderate walking and exercise, and lifestyle habits, if any. These are also some factors that could supplement the dental issues of sleep apnea.