The most noticeable cosmetic dentistry needs are typically protruding, spaced, or crooked teeth. Treatments vary depending mostly on what method the patient prefers to use. The costs will vary slightly as well. Whether the patient is an adult or a child, these methods can be used with comparable results. However, underbites will need to be handled differently for adults than for children. The costs will be much different too.
For adults with an underbite, it is not so simple to correct. Adults whose jaw bones have already fused together will require an expensive surgery to correct the underbite. Parents need to address underbites in their children as early as possible. If they wait until adulthood, surgery can cost as much as $30,000. While there are procedures to fix the dental condition that can be done for as little as $3,000. The following are a few of these non-surgical methods.
Expanders are tools used to spread apart the upper jaw. This will make the patient’s bite down on the bottom row more even. The expanders are attached to the molars and first bicuspids of the dental row. These are the points at which a piece of metal bar is used to connect the two sides of the mouth. A bar will stretch across the roof of the mouth, which has a turnkey.
Whenever the expander fails to work, orthodontists will try a reverse-pull head gear. This head gear will require a little more cooperation from your child. It needs to be worn for at least 12 hours everyday. The gear is made with a vertical metal bar that is connected to pads on the forehead and chin. Rubber bands that are attached to the bar and upper braces move the upper jaw forward. This method works best for 7 – 10 year olds.
The chin-cap is used in the more severe cases of underbite. It’s used along with the reverse-pull head gear. This cap attaches around the chin, and stops any movement of the lower jaw.