Before / After
These are actual photos of real patients treated by Dr. Lori Landreneau.
More than half of all American children
and adults suffer from these problems and could benefit from orthodontic treatment.
A Good Bite
The upper and lower teeth are designed to fit together much like gears mesh in a machine. Good meshing of the teeth allows proper chewing and the chewing forces to be evenly distributed throughout all the teeth.
Crowding
When teeth are crowded they are difficult to clean properly. This can lead to periodontal disease with bone loss. Also, crowding can be unsightly, having a negative impact on self-esteem.
Crossbite (including underbite)
Upper teeth are on the inside of the lower teeth causing this condition. A crossbite of the front teeth (an “underbite”) gives the appearance of a bulldog bite.
Impacted Teeth
This tooth is prevented from coming into the mouth. Impacted teeth may lead to bone destruction and root loss on adjacent teeth if they are not brought into the mouth into proper position.
Openbite
Front teeth do not touch, making it difficult to bite directly into food. Excess pressure is placed on the teeth that do not touch. Speech is often affected by this type of bite.
Lip Strain
The lips should normally be able to close over the teeth without having to strain any muscles to close them. Here, this patient is having to strain her lips due to protruding upper and lower front teeth. The second picture is her result from orthodontics with Dr. Landreneau.
Deep Overbite
The upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth too much in the vertical direction. This leads to excessive wear of the front teeth and may cause trauma to the roof of the mouth behind the upper front teeth.
Midline Shift
When the centers of the upper and lower teeth do not line up it is an indication the remainder of the teeth do not fit together properly.
Protruded Upper Teeth
The upper front teeth are too far forward in relation to the lower teeth, making the upper teeth more prone to injury. In addition, if the lips cannot close without straining, the gum tissue often becomes irritated from exposure to the air.
Spacing
Spaces between the teeth may be caused by missing teeth, lost teeth, overbite, or teeth that are too small for the jaws. With space, food becomes trapped between the teeth, contributing to Periodontal disease.