Can a non-extraction treatment improve protruding lips and even a gummy smile? Clippy-C orthodontics that can make your face look smaller

Hello.

This is Apgujeong Yonsei Baro Dental Clinic, where we provide non-extraction orthodontics, gummy smile correction, and protruding-lip correction.

Today, I’d like to talk about Clippy-C orthodontics.

There is an orthodontic treatment that goes beyond simply straightening teeth and can also make the face look more refined.

Q. Can a protruding mouth really be improved even with non-extraction orthodontics?

Yes, it can.

Protruding-lip correction does not always require extracting the premolars.

When the patient’s facial shape, lip thickness, tooth angle, and skeletal structure are analyzed comprehensively, there are many cases where a non-extraction approach leads to a more natural and attractive result.

For this patient as well, based on the overall facial analysis, instead of extracting the premolars, we used the wisdom tooth space to move the entire dentition backward and performed non-extraction protruding-lip correction.

This is orthodontic treatment that intrudes the entire upper dentition into the alveolar bone.

As the lower jaw closes more, the lips close naturally and the lower face length becomes shorter.

Let me introduce how Clippy-C corrects protrusion and gummy smile by accompanying intrusion of the entire upper dentition.

This patient in their 30s came in saying they wanted to straighten protruding and crooked front teeth.

2022.11

2022.11

An open bite in the premolar area is observed.

There are two main ways to address protrusion.

One way is to remove four premolars, and the other is to remove the wisdom teeth and move the entire dentition backward using the wisdom tooth space.

Based on the overall side profile analysis, rather than extracting the premolars, we recommended non-extraction protruding-lip correction with only the wisdom teeth removed.

The gummy smile was not something the patient initially recognized as a concern they wanted to fix, but we also recommended addressing the gummy smile at the same time.

The patient chose Clippy-C orthodontics, and treatment began.

23.08

This is the appearance 9 months after starting treatment.

23.08

A total of 6 mini-screws were placed: 2 in the lower jaw and 4 in the upper jaw.

To intrude the entire upper dentition upward rather than simply moving it backward, two mini-screws are needed on each side of the upper jaw.

24.07

And the appliances were removed this July.

The total treatment period was 1 year and 8 months.

2022.11~2024.07

2022.11~2024.07

The alignment has become neat,

2022.11~2024.07

The open bite in the premolar area has improved,

2022.11~2024.07

The gummy smile has disappeared, and the smile looks cleaner.

2022.11~2024.07

By intruding the front teeth significantly, the gummy smile was well resolved.

In this patient’s case, the width-to-height ratio of the teeth was favorable, so the gummy smile was corrected with orthodontics alone, without any separate gum contouring.

2022.11~2024.07

As the lower face became shorter and the protrusion improved, the lips close much more comfortably.

The jawline, which had looked recessed due to insufficient lip closure, also improved.

If you look at the mouth line after orthodontic treatment, had this patient undergone extraction orthodontics, the lips might have been pulled in too much or the mouth line might have become too flat.

This is why an accurate diagnosis at the treatment planning stage is so important.

24.07

The root parallelism is also good, and there are no noticeable side effects such as root resorption.

22.11~24.07

If you overlay the before-and-after X-rays, you can see 2.5 mm of intrusion and 3 mm of posterior movement based on the upper front teeth.

You can see that the front teeth moved in quite a lot even without extraction, right?

In addition, by intruding the entire upper dentition, the lower jaw closes more than before and self-rotates, resulting in the chin becoming about 2 mm shorter.

This type of orthodontic treatment is often referred to as treatment that makes the face look smaller.

It is a good option for people who are concerned about a long lower face.

2022.11~2024.07

Protruding-lip correction is not simply a treatment that straightens teeth.

It is important to consider the overall facial balance, including the mouth line, jawline, lower-face proportions, and smile.

In particular, whether or not to extract teeth is not an absolute rule.

It should vary depending on the patient’s facial shape and goals.

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