Lip Bumper Orthodontic Treatment In Los Gatos, CA To Correct Lower Teeth Crowding
Any form of misalignment of the teeth or jaw can affect the appearance of your teeth, your smile, and even your oral health. Orthodontics is a specialized branch that works to create specific treatment plans to correct that misalignment.
Dr. Cristina Herrera from Los Gatos Orthodontics located in Los Gatos CA specializes in providing treatment for bite issues, straightening misaligned teeth, mild to severe malocclusion, gaps in between the teeth, narrow palate, or crowding of teeth. They use the MEAW technique, which is a conservative archwire process to treat even severe bite issues that are generally treated with an invasive surgical process.
While orthodontic braces are very effective in treating most forms of malocclusions, many times additional measures like the application of lip bumpers become necessary.
Lips bumpers and their role in orthodontic treatments
Lip bumpers are mostly used when there is crowding in the front teeth of the lower jaw. These are supportive structures to the braces made in a U-shape encircling the front lower teeth. The main function of a lip bumper is to slightly push the lower lip forward so that a space is created, which provides braces a better opportunity to correct crowding and improve the smile.
To make a lip bumper, small thin wires are covered by plastic sheaths which are connected at each end to a molar band that functions to hold the wires of the lip bumper in place. These U-shaped appliances are removable, but it is advisable to wear them for a prolonged time to increase their effectiveness.
Orthodontics in Los Gatos use lip bumpers to aid the orthodontic treatment in the following ways:
- Lip bumpers gradually work to change the shape of the lower alveolar bone, which then creates more space to treat crookedness of the teeth.
- By strategically applying pressure on these sets of teeth, the orthodontist aims to create an even smile for their patients.
- Lips bumpers help in creating this space by pushing the molars a little backward in the arch.
- As a result, the mandibular incisors get a better chance to come into proper positional alignment with the maxillary teeth.
- Lip bumpers can also be used to treat lip or thumb-sucking habits in older children.
Many times your orthodontist in Los Gatos will primarily give you a lip bumper to resolve the spacing issues of the lower set of teeth before orthodontic braces or aligners can be framed to correct the malocclusion. Many times headgears are also supplemented to aid the lip bumpers to fasten the process. Wearing orthodontic appliances regularly is extremely essential for producing effective results in a shorter period.
