Underbite Orthodontics Ask The Dentist Questions about Underbite in the Dental Health Library

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FAQ: Underbite

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Question:
Too Late for Underbite Correction? I am 33 years old now and I have a underbite problem. Also, 3 of my front teeth have had root canals before.

Is it too late to correct the underbite problem? ...Visitor from NY

Answer:
I am not sure what you think of as an underbite, however I can assure you that it is never too late to move teeth and fix bite problems.

Teeth move throughout the ageing process. When pressure is placed on one side the force will stimulate certain cells called Osteoblast (adding cells) and Osteoclast (subtracting cells) to work.

If the force was from left to right then the osteoclast would subtract bone on the right side while the osteoblast would add bone to the left. This would cause a permanent movement of the teeth through the bone.

The same thing occurs in an up and down motion. Although the cells slow down with age they do still work. This is how broken bones heal and we have all seen elderly people heal from broken bones.

Movement of the teeth at later ages occurs at a slower rate due to the thickness of the older bone and the slowness of the osteoblast to add the bone.

Along with Orthodontics (the moving of teeth in the jaws), orthognathic surgery (the movement of the jaws themselves) may be necessary to give you the appearance and function that you seek.

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