Can Invisalign fix an overbite?

Yes. Invisalign corrects most mild to moderate overbites, and it is one of the most common reasons adults come to Toothi for aligners. An overbite is when the upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth too far vertically. Aligners fix it by levelling the bite and gently moving the front teeth into a better position, using small tooth-coloured attachments and, where needed, precision bite ramps built into the aligners themselves.

The short version: if your overbite is mild to moderate and your back teeth meet reasonably well, Invisalign Go or Go Plus will usually treat it in typically around 6 to 9 months, at a fixed price of £2,495 or £2,995 with retainers and whitening included. Deep or skeletal overbites that need the jaws themselves repositioned are referred on to an orthodontist, and we tell you that at your free consultation, before you spend anything.

Most people use “overbite” to mean teeth that stick out. Dentists use three different terms, and which one you have changes the plan:

• ✓  Overbite — the vertical overlap. The upper front teeth cover too much of the lower front teeth when you bite together. A small overlap of 2–3 mm is normal; more than that is an increased overbite.
• ✓  Overjet — the horizontal gap. The upper front teeth sit too far forward of the lower ones, so they look protruded. Often what people mean when they say “buck teeth”.
• ✓  Deep bite — a severe overbite where the lower front teeth bite onto the gum behind the upper teeth, or the upper teeth almost completely hide the lower ones.

Many patients have a mix of all three. Left alone, an increased overbite can wear the edges of the lower front teeth, chip the backs of the upper ones, make the smile look “gummy” and put extra load on the jaw joints. It is a functional issue as well as a cosmetic one, which is why we assess the bite as a whole and not just the front six teeth.

Aligners move teeth by applying light, continuous pressure in a planned sequence. For an overbite, the plan usually combines three movements:

• ✓  Intrusion of the front teeth — the upper and/or lower incisors are pushed very slightly upwards into the bone, which reduces how much they overlap. Small attachments bonded to the teeth give the aligner something to grip while it does this.
• ✓  Levelling the lower arch — the lower front teeth are often over-erupted in a deep bite. Levelling them opens the bite from below.
• ✓  Precision bite ramps — small ledges built into the inside of the upper aligners. When you bite, the lower front teeth rest on the ramps, which stops the back teeth touching for a moment and lets the bite open more efficiently. They are designed into your plan by the dentist, not something you can see from the outside.

Where the front teeth also sit too far forward (overjet), the plan may tilt them back and may include a small amount of interproximal reduction (IPR) to create the space to do it. Everything is mapped in your ClinCheck plan, which you see at your consultation before anything is made, so you know what movements are planned and roughly how long they take.

Invisalign Go and Go Plus are designed to move the front teeth and premolars. That covers the great majority of adult overbites. Where a case needs the molars moved, significant bite opening or jaw correction, the honest answer is a full Invisalign course or fixed braces with a specialist orthodontist, and we refer you on to a colleague we trust rather than attempt it with the wrong tool. Your free consultation and iTero scan tell us which group you are in.

Overbite correction tends to sit at the longer end of our treatment times because intrusion is a slow, controlled movement. Across our cases, Invisalign Go takes typically around 6 months and Invisalign Go Plus typically around 9 months. Those are averages; your own timeline is confirmed on your ClinCheck plan before you start, and wearing your aligners for 22 hours a day is what keeps you on it. Refinement aligners, if the final position needs a little more work, are included in every package. More on timings in how long Invisalign takes.

Our Invisalign prices are fixed and published. There is no overbite surcharge: you pay for the package your case needs, and everything below is included.

Included in every Invisalign package: iTero 3D scan and ClinCheck · all review appointments · refinement aligners if needed · removable and fixed retainers · Airflow hygiene clean · Boutique teeth whitening. There are no add-ons. See the full Invisalign fees, our Invisalign cost guide and how monthly payments work.

Overbites have a tendency to relapse, because the muscles and bite that created them are still there. That is why every Toothi package includes both a fixed wire retainer behind the front teeth and removable retainers for night-time wear. Worn as advised, they hold the result. Real cases from our patients are in our Invisalign before and after gallery.