Many patients who come to Hodges Orthodontics are surprised to learn that Invisalign® can be used to repair not just overbites but also 90% of deep bites. Thanks to bite ramps, Invisalign® is more powerful than ever for patients with a deep overbite.
First of all, what is a deep bite?
While it’s normal to have a slight overbite, a deep bite is what we call an excessive overbite of more than 4mm. Deep bites can lead to problems with biting and chewing. That, in turn, can lead to jaw pain, TMJ disorder, headaches, sleeping disorders, and other health issues.
What is a bite ramp?
To treat a deep bite, the upper teeth must be moved up and back into the proper position to correct a deep bite. To do that, we have to make space between the back upper, and lower teeth so the teeth and jaws can move into their proper positions.
A bite ramp looks like a small pyramid attached to the clear aligner. It is custom-positioned on the clear aligner, so it’s made to work with your teeth and speed up the repair of your bite. The bite ramps are usually placed on the back of the front incisors.
How do bite ramps work?
The bite ramp stops your upper teeth from moving entirely over the lower front teeth. As this happens, your back teeth stop short of touching, putting space between your upper and lower jaw in the back. This gives your teeth and jaws room to move into their proper positions.
Over time, your back teeth will drift closer together as your front teeth move up and back. Eventually, your back upper and lower teeth will touch again. The bite ramps not only allow space for this to happen, but they train your jaw to bite correctly, making it feel more natural once your teeth move to where they need to be.
Is a bite ramp for everyone?
Bite ramps aren’t on every Invisalign clear aligner because not everyone will have a deep bite or overbite issue. Dr. Hodges will examine you and your 3D digital scans and x-rays to determine whether bite ramps would be helpful for your case.
To find out whether you need bite ramps, schedule a free consultation with Dr. Hodges!