You get braces on your teeth to get a better look. But, if you want to improve your face, you may wonder, “Do braces change your face shape?”
Braces bring changes to your face and improve your overall look. Braces make the appearance of the cheekbone, lips, mouth, jaw, and shape of the face better. It also helps improve your smile. However, there is no chance that braces ruin your face shape or smile if you see a licensed orthodontist.
You may be worried because of the extraction of healthy teeth for braces or having a smile that you don’t like.
Here, we’ll discuss how can braces change and improve your face shape. And, if there is any risk it ruins your face.
Will you improve the face?
Braces will improve your face by aligning crooked teeth, closing space between teeth, correcting asymmetry, or fixing overbite, underbite, and open bite.
When you have an overbite, your face looks sunken while when you have an underbite, your lower jaw looks prominent. So, we expect a change of faces in cases like these.
If you have to spaced or overcrowded teeth, your smile may not look so good. Braces can help improve teeth alignment as well as your face and your smile.
Some people have facial asymmetry. Whereas, some people face functional problems like chewing due to certain teeth and jaw conditions. Braces can solve those problems and improve the condition.
When you deal with orthodontic problems, your face, jaw, lips, cheek, and mouth may not look pretty. Braces improve all of these if you follow the instruction of an orthodontist.
Here is the situation which braces can correct and improve:
- Overcrowded teeth
- Misaligned or crooked teeth
- Gaps between teeth
- Midline spacing
- Overbite
- Underbite
- Openbite
- Lips position
- Smile
- Cheekbone or upper jaw
- Lower jaw bone and jawline
- Asymmetry
In some cases, you might not need braces, but you might still want them.
Factors depending on the change of face
We get the same amount of changes in the face after having braces in all individuals. It depends on the following factors:
1. Age
Young patients expect more changes than adults. If we can identify the orthodontic problem at an early age, we can get the best result.
The treatment options are also much wider for them. Many orthodontic problems are related to the growth and development of children.
An orthodontist can control the growth of the jaw and face using various devices such as headgear or palatal expanders if someone visits him o her at growing age.
In this technique, we predict the growth of the face and jaw bone and we can improve the jawline and arch.
However, adults can also get benefit from orthodontic treatment and have a beautiful smile.
2. Condition of oral health
People who have sound oral health and no diseases can get more improvement after braces treatment. Young people usually don’t have gum diseases or loose teeth, so they can expect a good facial change.
3. Bone density
Orthodontic treatment depends on bone density because the movement of teeth is actually a result of changes in bone structure. On the other hand, bone density isn’t the same in all individuals. So, changes after braces treatment vary from person to person.
4. Following the instruction of the orthodontist
Orthodontist treatment can give you an expected outcome if you follow all the instructions of your orthodontist.
An example is wearing a retainer after braces. When you don’t use retainer regularly after getting braces, your face, and teeth change and get back to the old position.
How do braces change your face?
You get braces only on teeth, but it can change your facial appearance easily. There is a close relationship between teeth and facial structures.
When braces put pressure on teeth, bones that hold the teeth change their structure and move from their original position to a new position.
Teeth also shift to a new position. As your teeth and jawbone change, you get a change in your face and your overall look.
Let’s take a look at the ways by which braces change your face:
Give a more natural bite
You may think about your appearance more than anything when you decide to have orthodontic treatment.
But, an orthodontist becomes more concerned about your bite, because the bite has a close relationship with your appearance.
If you want a more natural look, you need a more natural bite. Braces fix your all bite problems and give you more natural bite as possible. This changes your facial appearance and makes you look great.
Improve an underbite
In some cases, your lower teeth are placed forwardly more than the upper teeth called an underbite. This results in sticking out of the lower jaw. lower jaw.
Braces can shift the teeth back and make the bite normal. This improves the underbite and the position of the jaw gets improved. Through this process, your facial appearance gets changed.
However, if you have the underbite due to a severely prominent lower jaw, it may be hard to fix it only with braces.
Fix an overbite
In this type of malocclusion, your top teeth are more forwardly positioned than usual. So, you can’t close the lips without forcing your lips.
This patient may have the appearance of a sunken cheek and a weak chin. Braces move the stick-out upper teeth back.
This fixes the overbite and improves your facial profile and jaw. As a result, you get a better look and smile.
Correct an open bite
In an open bite, the front teeth of both jaws can’t make contact with each other. Besides, you have to force your lips to close the gaps between your teeth and your mouth.
In this citation, your face looks long in shape and hurts your appearance. This also results in other problems like chewing, biting, and speech issue.
Braces fix the open bite and help eliminate all the errors. As a result, your face appears normal and you get a beautiful smile.
Improve a crossbite
When one or two teeth are out of the normal position in the jaw, we call it a crossbite. It affects your facial appearance and smiles if this problem is in one of the front teeth.
Braces bring that tooth to the normal position and straighten it. This improves your face and gives you a wonderful smile.
Fix asymmetrical face
Braces help Improve asymmetrical faces. Normally, the midline between your upper and lower teeth remains in the same line and it also lies in the midline of the face and lips.
But, in some cases, it may not be sifted from the midline because of the severe spacing or crowding. This is called facial asymmetry.
The asymmetrical face doesn’t look so good. So, you may want an improvement. When you get braces, an orthodontist places braces to correct the asymmetry.
When teeth shifts along with the jawbone, it fixes the asymmetrical teeth and jaw. Braces make the face look more symmetrical, as lips move along with them because of muscles and skin.
Aid in improving cheekbones
Braces improve the cheekbone by fixing the overbite, spacing, and other malocclusions. When upper teeth are forwardly or backwardly positioned than normal, cheekbones don’t look good.
Braces and orthodontic treatment shift the upper jawbone and teeth to a favorable position. Another problem is an uneven spacing between the teeth.
This causes a sunken cheek. Braces help close the gaps and align teeth properly. This gives a better appearance to the cheekbone and face.
Improve jaw and jawline
By improving overbite or underbite braces change your jaw and jawline. In most cases, you can get a significant improvement after braces treatment.
If orthodontic treatment is done during growing age, the jawline can be changed drastically.
Check our other article to know, when braces can change jawline and whether you are a good candidate for that.
Help provide a natural facial appearance
When you have a malocclusion such as an overbite, underbite, crooked, crowded, or crowded teeth, it may not give you a natural look.
Natural appearance is nothing but a look that is often seen in the majority of people. The aim of braces treatment is to fix all of these malocclusions and give you a natural appearance.
As the position and alignment of teeth in your mouth reflect the appearance of your face, you get a better look and smile after the end of orthodontic treatment.
Can braces ruin your face?
Braces don’t ruin your face if you see a licensed orthodontic. However, it may seem to you that braces have ruined your face after getting several teeth extracted for orthodontic treatment.
Not only that, but during the treatment, you may also look a bit odd. But, nothing t worry about it. After getting braces removed, you get an improved face and a beautiful smile.
Moreover, you may think of braces you may have a sunken face after braces. It’s not true, an orthodontist may correct the sunken face if you already have, but you will never have a sunken face after braces.
If you are still concerned about it, you may check out other articles regarding, Can braces make your teeth weak, loose, or fallout?
Can braces make your face slimmer, thinner, or longer?
Braces neither make your face longer nor slimmer, as you think about. Even though it becomes slightly longer or slimmer, you look great as it fits with your appearance.
In fact, braces or orthodontic treatment can help to correct your slimmer, thinner, or longer face.
The longer face is the condition when your lower jaw is more prominent or forwardly paced than the upper jaw.
On the other hand, the jaw bone can be thin which makes your face look slimmer or thinner. Braces, headgear, and various orthodontic appliances can fix the problems.
Keep in mind that, braces and orthodontic treatment can improve your look. There is some situation it can’t make a drastic change. But, you must get a better look than before.
Do braces change your nose?
Braces change your nose indirectly. When you get braces to move your upper teeth and jaw bone, it changes the angle between the nose and upper lips.
To establish a good facial profile and shape, orthodontists evaluate your face, teeth as well as the angle between the nose and upper lips.
So, after getting braces treatment, you will get an improved relationship between the nose and upper lips.
Are your lips altered by braces?
Many people who have orthodontic problems deal with abnormal lips. Some have thin lips, some have thick lips.
In orthodontics, we call it an incompetent lip pattern. In some people, lips don’t remain in actual position because of forwardly placed teeth or a jaw.
Those people visit the orthodontist to change their lip’s shape and size.
In short, braces can change the appearance of your lips as the position of your teeth and jaw is improved. The reason is the appearance of your lips depending on the position and size of teeth and jaw bone because they are attached to each other with skin and muscle.
You can notice the relation when you see the frenum that attaches to the gums in the midline of the face and the inner side of the lips.
So, when braces change your teeth and jaw bone, lips get changed.
This happens when your lips are normal. You can realize it when you see because of the position of the teeth, you can’t touch both lips without applying pressure.
When you have an asymmetrical mouth, your lips may be drifted to one side slightly. After the end of the braces treatment, you get a more symmetrical smile and improved lips.
But, when your lips are incompetent such as big lips, Do your lips stay big after braces?
Unfortunately, your lips remain big even after braces, because braces can’t change the size and shape of your lips.
However, your big lips also become beautiful when your teeth get straightened after braces treatment.
Will orthodontic treatment change the shape of your mouth?
When you have an overbite, your chin gets weak and stretched, as you try to close the mouth with the help of muscle of the chin.
Besides your upper jaw look sunken. On the other hand, your chin looks longer in the case of an underbite.
When braces correct all of these malocclusions, facial muscles get relaxed and you can close your mouth normally. This improves the shape of your mouth and gives you a better smile.
Learn more about if braces can change your lips.
Will braces make you look younger?
You may expect to look relatively younger after the end of orthodontic treatment. When an adult gets braces, they may also look a bit younger after braces off.
The reason is braces not only change the teeth and jaw bone but also change the muscle and facial appearance.
After the treatment, you may have fewer wrinkles and tighter skin on your chin and cheek. As a result, you get a youthful look.
Do braces boost confidence?
Many people with misaligned or crooked teeth become self-conscious while smiling and feel confident.
After getting braces off, they become more confident as they get an improved face and straightened teeth.
But, one thing you always should remember, you are unique and better than others in your own way. Becoming self-confident doesn’t depend on how you look.
It’s you who protect yourself to fly in the sky like a bird. So, change the way you think and don’t care what other people say about your look.
Takeaways
Braces can change your face shape and structure and give you an improved smile. It can also improve your lips, cheekbone, and jaw by fixing overbite, underbite, gaps, and other malocclusions. However, how much braces can change your face depends on several factors.
