[GABRIEL5555]

Can braces help over bites, and can overbites cause facial deformity and tooh wear and tear?my bro has a slight overbite and I want to know if braces will help him

[twinkiedooter]

If he has a slight overbite braces will not help him. You have an overbite due to the way your jaw and skull fit together. I have an overbite and I had braces on my teeth and NO it did nothing for the overbite - it just straightened out my teeth. Overbites don't cause facial deformities and no, tooth wear is no more than in the mouth of someone who has no overbite.

[jillianleab]

With proper treatment braces can help with all sort of mis-aligned bites. Does your brother have an overjet or an overbite? An overjet is like "buck teeth"; and overbite is the top teeth covering the lower teeth (the terms are often used interchangably). How old is your brother? Depending on his age and the skill of the orthodontist, he should be able to get a normal bite. Sometimes, in severe cases, surgery is necessary.

Overbites/jets don't cause facial deformities, but they can cause one's profile to look strange. The jaw can appear "sunken" the upper lips might protrude, etc. And yes, having poorly aligned teeth WILL cause uneven wear on your teeth as the proper biting surfaces are not meeting, so new ones must form.

It is nice you are inquiring for your brother. If he is interested in getting braces perhaps this would be a good time for him to talk to your parents and go to some consultations. If you are in the US, most of these consultations are free of charge and the ortho will be able to lay out a complete treatment plan. Some even use digital imaging to show you what your teeth will look like when they are done!

[RickJ]

Braces are more for crooked teeth, whereas the Herbst Device is more for correcting over and under bites. Most orthodontists will give a free evaluation of what's needed.