12/10/2025
31-year-old Michael* came to us to "straighten teeth" and address his deep bite. He had never had orthodontic treatment before and his dentists said that he should explore lingual braces with an orthodontist.
Michael presented with a skeletal and dental Class II/deep bite malocclusion. This means that his lower jaw is positioned farther back than ideal and his top teeth overlap his bottom teeth more than ideal.
We presented Michael with 3 treatment options:
1. Orthodontic appliance therapy combined with orthognathic (jaw) surgery to address his bite at the skeletal level
2. Fixed orthodontic appliance therapy (braces)
3. Removable orthodontic appliance therapy utilizing Invisalign®
Michael declined orthognathic surgery and was highly interested in lingual braces for their discreet look and convenience. For his case, we did not recommend lingual braces for his mandibular (bottom) arch.
Ultimately, we decided on a combination treatment with lingual braces on top and Invisalign® clear aligner therapy on the bottom. Orthodontic elastics were also utilized to aid in opening his bite and correcting his Class II malocclusion.
After 18 months, Michael completed his treatment! He is maintaining his results with a bonded retainer on the bottom and a removable clear retainer for the top.
*Name has been changed to maintain anonymity