Do Braces & Invisalign Change Your Face Shape, Nose, Lips & Jawline?

Having brackets and wires on your teeth or Invisalign may not be the most pleasant of experiences but it is necessary. The goal of Manhattan orthodontics is to straighten your teeth and fix your bite and any oral health issues you are going through. Not only this, braces and Invisaligncan also enhance your smile and help you enjoy a better overall appearance. If you want to know how braces affect the shape of your face, nose, lips, and jawline and if they can make you look and feel better, visit Gibbs Orthodontic Associates. Dr. Gibbs is a highly trained and experienced orthodontist and understands the delicate relationship between your facial features, jaw, and teeth alignment and if braces can make any difference to them. He will also determine if braces have any impact on your profile and come up with an orthodontic treatment plan to ensure successful results.

Changes to your face shape and jawline before and after braces or Invisalign are often noticeable for skeletal concerns and issues that are moderate to severe. These changes are very minor if you have slightly crooked teeth, but your bite is normal. For some patients, there is little or no modification, but for others, facial enhancements are a part of their treatment plan, and their purpose of seeking orthodontic treatment can lead to improved features and smiles.

It is up to your orthodontist to review which type of orthodontic treatment works best for your needs and recommend the most effective one to fix your bite and give you a chance to look and feel better.

Face changes with braces or Invisalign – is there any connection?

Braces and Invisalign are orthodontic treatments that help with teeth alignment. They can straighten your teeth and create an ideal bite when used the right way, as instructed by the orthodontist.

As braces help to adjust teeth alignment, the soft tissues that lay over them, like lips or cheek, adjust with the new bite alignment, and you may experience some changes over time. During the treatment too, the specialist pinpoints areas that need to change after the teeth are aligned properly. It explains how braces work and if they can change the shape of your face.

It is necessary to understand that braces do not just change the alignment of your teeth. The orthodontist also takes orofacial anatomy into account, such as your jawline, lips, and overall facial structure. It usually happens in cases when the patients are young, and their bones are still developing.

Does getting braces or Invisalign affect your facial shape?

There are only a few people in the world with perfectly symmetrical faces. However, it is not something that most people even notice. It is only when the upper or lower jaws grow at different rates, or there are issues with the positioning of the jaw, such as with an underbite, overbite, or crossbite that face asymmetry becomes more noticeable.

The good news is that braces and Invisalign can fix underbite, overbite, or crossbite problems by aligning the jaws and balancing the facial features.

Your face can change because of the way your body reacts to braces. There are many types of braces, including metal, ceramic, lingual, and clear aligner braces, and they work the same way by applying pressure to the periodontal ligament.

The periodontal ligament is a connective tissue structure that connects the tooth to the surrounding bone. As the brackets, wires, and bands on the braces apply light but constant pressure, the body reacts by producing bone-growing and bone-destroying cells that remodel the bone shape and your face.

Depending on how old you are when you get braces, certain facial adjustments or changes are to be expected. When it comes to adult braces and Invisalign treatment in UES, it is essential to understand that these orthodontic therapies may impact your appearance depending on the type of complications you are getting fixed. 

How braces and Invisalign can change face shape?

Using braces or Invisalign for adjusting the teeth alignment means that the soft tissues lying over them, such as the cheeks and lips, will adapt to the new alignment of your bite. It is the reason why some people experience a ‘sunken in’ look when they lose teeth. There are gradual changes to your face shape which take place with the alignment of the teeth, and it is less obvious in adults as their skeletal features are already fully developed.

Experts claim that an orthodontic shift is an improvement from how you looked before. It means that the braces have done a good job and made you smile, look, feel and work better. Ask your orthodontist how braces or Invisalign can change face shape and if it would affect your features in the long run.

Do braces change nose shape? Does it become bigger?

No. They do not modify the shape of your nose. Any orthodontic treatment, including Invisalign, does not directly impact your nose or lengthen your face. Braces can adjust the width of the upper jaw, but they do not extend the structures that affect the size and shape of the nose.

The reason people believe that their nose looks different after braces or their face seems to have lengthened is about angles. When the teeth and jaws are shifted into position, or the lips are brought in or back out more, it alters the angles between the lips and nose and sometimes between the lips and chin, which may cause the nose or other features to look a bit different. It just creates an illusion that your nose has changed shape or grown bigger, but it has just adjusted your facial profile and nothing more.

In certain cases, when the upper teeth are pulled back significantly, the completed treatment creates an illusion that the nose is protruding more than before. However, braces on their own cannot make the nose big. 

Do braces change your lips? Can they make them look bigger?

Yes. Braces can change the position of your lips. It is because wearing braces has a direct impact on the teeth immediately behind the lips. Braces have nothing to do with the fullness or the shape of the lips, which will remain the same.

If you suffer from an underbite, the orthodontist will bring the upper and lower front teeth into proper alignment. It can form the appearance of a plumper upper lip. In such a case, the top teeth come out, and it is pulled back with orthodontic treatment, and the upper lip will fall back to some extent. It is important to note that your lips certainly play a significant role in your smile and also guard your teeth in case of some injury. Getting braces or Invisalign will change the base only that lips rest against and nothing more.

Some people noticed that wearing traditional metal braces made their lips look large. It is because conventional braces use brackets and wires that create extra width between teeth and lips. It does not enlarge the lips, but the lips cannot sit as far back as against the teeth until the braces come off.

Do braces change your jawline?

Braces may affect the jawline in younger patients, particularly, if the orthodontist is using interceptive orthodontics or growth modifying treatments, also known as orthopedics. There is a possibility that in such cases, braces and other appliances may change the shape and size of a child’s jawline. It happens as the bones are still developing, and these appliances can adjust the jaw shape and size to some extent.

Braces do not impact the size and shape of the jawline in adults. It is only possible through surgical measures recommended by the orthodontists depending on the problem you are going through. These surgical methods are complex and only carried out after complete agreement between the orthodontist and oral surgeon.

Does Invisalign change face shape, nose, lips, or jawline?

Invisalign is different from traditional braces as it does not use brackets or wires that create a space between lips and teeth. There are some instances when Invisalign can transform the position of lips. However, you will not find much change in the size of your lips or profile while you use clean aligners that bring upper teeth into proper alignment.

The clear aligners are designed to make a minimal impact on your day-to-day routines and activities. They do not change face shape, nose, or jawline noticeably. It is the reason most people prefer them over traditional braces.

It is essential to understand the relation between your facial features, tooth alignment, and jaw before going for orthodontic treatment. The first step towards braces is to schedule a session with an experienced and certified orthodontist. The specialist can determine if you are a candidate for braces by evaluating your mouth condition and diagnosing the extent of dental problems you are facing.

Getting braces is more than just teeth straightening. The way Invisalign and braces affect your face shape, nose, lip, and jawline can be a nice perk of orthodontic treatment, or it can be one of the main objectives from the start. It all depends on your case and the outcome you are trying to achieve with your orthodontist.

Visit Gibbs Orthodontic Associates, your top NYC orthodontists to learn how braces and Invisalign influence your facial features and smile and how this treatment can improve your bite and oral health and help you look and feel great. Dr. Gibbs determines your smile goals and how wearing can change your face or front and side profiles. He analyzes your face and mouth, such as your lips, chin, jawline, nose, and teeth, and comes up with a personal orthodontic plan that benefits you overall.