Why did my cross-bite return after wearing braces?

Thank you for your enquiry.

Here are 2 possible reasons for your crossbite returning:

1) Insufficient retainer wear, resulting in relapse of your original problem

2) Further growth of your jaw to the right as you grow older. The lower jaw stops growing at a later age than your upper jaw, which could have then caused your bottom teeth to move together with it. We do see this quite commonly in asymmetry cases (meaning the jaws are not in balance, uneven or slanted) , if your previous orthodontic treatment was done during the early adolescent years, and the patient subsequently experienced late lower jaw growth

If you are not in any discomfort, you are able to eat fine and you are not concerned about the look of the crossbite, you may choose to leave it. Of course a consultation with an orthodontist or dentist would be good so that we can discuss your treatment options with you, should you decide to want to treat it.

Thank you and all the best!

Warm regards,

Dr Geraldine Lee

I am not sure how fully your crossbite was corrected when you had treatment 6-7 years ago. It may not be possible to get complete correction of a crossbite in the back teeth, if the crossbite has been caused by an underlying skeletal proportion (skeletal crossbite) issue.

We tend to see crossbites originating from jawbone size and proportion in patients with a small upper jaw and/or a large lower jaw. The bony foundations of the teeth are out of proportion, and the body adapts to this by creating a crossbite. Without the crossbite, the back teeth in the affected area would not meet together. For skeletal crossbites, braces cannot reshape the jawbones and jaw surgery is usually required for a definitive solution.

Crossbites may return after braces are removed and if retainers are stopped. Our jawbones continue to grow and remodel throughout our lifetime, and our teeth compensate for this by moving.

Depending on your current age and how long you have had the crossbite, the jawbones may become slanted. The longer the crossbite has been present, the more likely it is that this slanting has become permanent. Some patients with crossbites may also have jaw joint or jaw muscle issues. So this is a good reason to seek assessment and treatment.

Our jawbone growth patterns are determined genetically, and no amount of treatment can change this inherent tendency. Some patients grow in a way that tends to make a crossbite recur.

Our biting and chewing habits also affect the way we bite. One-sided chewing tends to make the chewing muscles on one side of the face stronger and may encourage the lower jaw to deviate to this side.

If this is an issue that is bothering you, I would advise you to get assessed in person. A thorough examination of your bite, your jaw muscles and joints and xrays of your skull are needed to identify the source of the crossbite. Have a frank discussion with your treating dentist about the prognosis for correcting the crossbite.

Hope this helps!

Relapse after orthodontic treatment is common especially if you had braces worn earlier on in life and motivation to consistently wear the retainer drops with time because patients are happy with what they see till the changes become more prominent.

Let's break up the two parts of your question into 2 parts: the relapsed crossbite and the bottom row shifting to the right.

Reasons for a relapse in crossbite can be due to

a. lack of retainer wear

b. prior incomplete orthodontic treatment

c. habits such as chewing on one side

d. underlying issues such as gum disease which causes instability in teeth alignment

Reasons for a bottom row shift is commonly due to a phenomena called 'late lower incisor crowding' and/or lack of retainer wear, which can happen in young adult life.

This leads me to my main question to you which would be, how much does the crossbite and lower teeth shift bother you?

There are always solutions and things we can do to correct that using orthodontic measures or perhaps veneers to mask the appearance but it all boils down to how much you are willing to commit to the treatment in terms of time and money which can be discussed after a proper examination and consultation is done.

I hope this helps and should you have any further questions feel free to ask more.

Have a great day ahead!

Regards,

Dr Beth