People get braces to improve the alignment of their teeth and make their smiles look better. However, getting orthodontic care sometimes does more than changing your dental physiology. Other parts of your face such as your jawline, lips, and the rest of your face may be affected by an aligner. This is particularly true for children whose bones are still in a developmental phase.
People who get Invisalign often wonder if the aligner will affect certain aspects of their face. In this article, we will answer some specific questions about this form of orthodontic therapy and how it can potentially affect your appearance.
Do Braces Change Face Shape?
Here’s a common question that people ask: does Invisalign change your face shape? Well, it depends. Invisalign is primarily designed to change the alignment of your teeth. However, the fact that it does this also means that it could potentially affect the rest of your face including your cheeks and lips. These soft tissues usually conform to the alignment of your teeth so they will most likely adjust to the new alignment if your braces or aligners work like they’re meant to. However, the change to the alignment of your teeth is gradual which means the change to your face may not be drastic. In fact, you might not even notice it at all in adults because the development of their skeletal features is complete. But it is likely to be more noticeable in kids and teenagers. During your initial orthodontic consultation at our dental office. You can ask our Dentists London, Ontario about the potential impact of Invisalign on the appearance of your face and how it might change when the teeth are properly aligned.
Does Invisalign Make Your Lips Bigger?
Yes. To some extent, aligners can change the appearance of your lips. However, how much you’ll notice often depends on how much the teeth behind them have been moved. The braces do not really affect the lips themselves but can change the appearance when the teeth underneath move. For instance, for someone with an underbite (a condition where the lower teeth extend farther than the upper teeth), Invisalign can help bring the teeth to proper alignment. When this happens, the upper lips will have a fuller appearance. Similarly, if your top teeth which use to extend out before getting pulled back by several millimeters, it will change the appearance of your lips as well. The difference in the appearance of your lips is only a result of the change in the base (your teeth) on which the lips rest. Traditional metal braces have a more direct impact on the appearance of your lips. Your lips temporarily look bigger when you start wearing braces. This is due to the extra space between your teeth and your lips as a result of the brace. Your lips aren’t necessarily bigger, but they cannot get as close to the teeth as they used to, which is why the appearance changes. An Invisalign aligner does not have that much effect on the lips.
Do Braces Change Your Nose Shape?
What about your nose? Do braces change nose shape? No. They do not. Although braces can adjust the width of your upper jaw slightly as it adjusts the shape of the upper teeth, this does not really affect the shape or size of your nose. The action of the braces or Invisalign does not affect this part of your face. However, if the adjustment to your upper teeth and jaw changes the profile of your face enough, there’s a chance that your nose might look slightly different from how it used to look before you got braces. The adjustment to your general facial profile (especially the area directly next to the nose) due to the action of the braces may create an illusion of your nose changing in size or shape-making it looks like your nose is protruding. In the real sense, your nose isn’t bigger than it was before.
Does Invisalign Move Your Chin?
Braces or Invisalign do not really move your chin especially if you’re an adult. The bones of your face have stopped developing and there’s no lasting impact on its appearance due to the braces you have on. However, some types of orthodontics such as interceptive orthodontics (orthopedics) can adjust the shape and size of the jaws, especially in younger patients. You cannot get these same effects on your chin or jawline as an adult. The only way to significantly change the appearance of your jawline as an adult is if you undergo surgery.
Can You Speak Properly With Invisalign
Yes. You will still be able to speak properly after getting Invisalign installed on your teeth. Invisalign aligners don’t cause speech impediments. This type of aligner is made from smooth thin plastic and does not impact how you speak. In most cases, the impact on your speech is barely noticeable. A few patients report noticing slight lisps when they try to speak during the first few days of having the aligners installed in their teeth. The lisp is typically more noticeable when they try to make the “s” or “sh” sounds. However, as they get more familiar with the aligners in their mouth, the lisp will most likely disappear. So as far as Invisalign is concerned, you don’t have to worry about any speech impediment.
Speak To A Professional
Many patients tend to worry about the relationship between the facial feature and the alignment of their teeth. In fact, the main reason why some patients seek orthodontic therapy is to improve the appearance of their faces. Invisalign treatment takes into account the impact of the teeth alignment on the rest of your face and dentists usually consider this when planning your treatment.
If you still have doubts about how braces will affect the appearance of your face, make sure you ask about it during your consultation when you visit our dental clinic. This is usually the first stage of your Invisalign treatment with our dentists in London, Ontario.
They will analyze your facial features such as your lips, chin, nose, and jawline to determine how the alignment of your teeth can potentially affect the appearance of these facial features. You can also ask specific questions about Invisalign and your face.
Conclusion
Invisalign treatment is a systematic treatment approach for correcting orthodontic issues. Professional dentists will usually take the potential impact of the treatment plan on your face to determine which plan would work best for you. Visit our dentistry clinic to learn more about Invisalign treatment.
Visit us at Sbenati Dentistry, our dentist office in London Ontario to speak about your case and get recommendations about your treatment options. Call us (519) 474 – 0220.