Crowding, overbite, underbite, crossbite, gaps and impacted canines: what each is, what causes it, how it is treated at each age and how long correction takes. Each article links to a real case treated in Idaho Falls.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Andy Higham, DDS, MS, orthodontist — East Idaho Orthodontics. Last reviewed October 2026.
Crowded Teeth: Treatment in Idaho Falls
Crowding — teeth that overlap or rotate because there is not enough room in the arch — is the most common reason people seek orthodontic treatment. East Idaho Orthodontics treats crowding in Idaho Falls with braces or Spark clear aligners; mild and moderate crowding is usually corrected without extractions, and severe crowding sometimes requires removing teeth to create room. Treatment takes 12–24 months and costs $2,500–$4,000 for a limited case or $4,800–$5,800 for full treatment.
Key takeaways
- Crowding is the most common reason for orthodontic treatment.
- Mild and moderate crowding is usually corrected without extractions.
- Lower front teeth crowd with age in everyone — retention is permanent.
What causes crowding
A mismatch between the size of the teeth and the size of the jaw, mostly inherited. Early loss of baby teeth, prolonged thumb sucking and mouth breathing can make it worse. Lower front teeth also tend to crowd gradually with age in everyone, treated or not.
Can crowding be fixed without extractions?
Often. Space can be created by widening the arch in a growing child, by moving molars back, by reshaping the sides of teeth very slightly (interproximal reduction), or by tipping teeth forward when the profile allows it. Extractions are chosen when the crowding is severe enough that these options would push teeth into a position that is unstable or unattractive. That decision is made from records, not from looking.
Braces or aligners for crowded teeth?
Mild to moderate crowding responds well to Spark aligners. Severe crowding with rotated teeth and extraction space to close is usually more efficient with braces. Either way, the result is the same when the plan is right.
Crowding in children
Crowding noticed at age 7–9 is evaluated for free. Where the upper jaw is narrow, an expander can create space early. Where crowding is ordinary, monitoring until the permanent teeth are in produces the same result in less total time.
Frequently asked questions
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Yes, gradually, especially in the lower front teeth. That is why retention after treatment is permanent.
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Overlapping teeth are harder to clean, which raises the risk of decay and gum disease at the overlaps.
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Mild cases 6–12 months; moderate 12–18; severe or extraction cases 18–24 or more.
Overbite Treatment in Idaho Falls
"Overbite" is used for two different things: a deep bite, where the upper front teeth cover too much of the lower ones vertically, and an overjet, where the upper front teeth sit too far forward. Both are treated at East Idaho Orthodontics in Idaho Falls, almost always without surgery. In a growing child, the jaw relationship itself can be guided; in an adult, teeth are moved to compensate. Full treatment takes about 24 months and costs $4,800–$5,800.
Key takeaways
- "Overbite" means either a deep bite (vertical) or an overjet (front teeth forward).
- Almost always corrected without surgery; in children, jaw growth can be guided.
- A skeletal overjet is best treated around ages 10–13.
Deep bite versus overjet
| DEEP BITE | OVERJET ("BUCK TEETH") | |
|---|---|---|
| What it looks like | Upper teeth hide most of the lower teeth when biting | Upper front teeth stick out ahead of the lower |
| Common cause | Over-erupted front teeth, short lower face | Lower jaw set back, or upper teeth flared |
| Risks if untreated | Lower teeth biting the palate; wear on front teeth | Injury to protruding teeth; lip strain |
| Typical fix | Intrude front teeth, level the arch | Growth guidance in children; elastics; sometimes extractions |
Can an overbite be fixed without surgery?
Almost always, yes. In children and young teens, appliances and elastics can guide the lower jaw forward while it is still growing. In adults, the jaw cannot be repositioned without surgery, but the teeth can be moved to correct the bite in the large majority of cases. Surgery is reserved for severe skeletal discrepancies in adults, and we say so at the consultation, not partway through.
Aligners or braces for an overbite?
Spark aligners with attachments and elastics correct many mild to moderate overbites. Deep bites that need significant vertical movement and larger overjets are usually more efficient with braces.
Frequently asked questions
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An overjet with the lower jaw set back is best addressed between about 10 and 13, while growth can be used. A deep bite alone can wait for full treatment.
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Deep bites have a tendency to relapse, which is why retention is planned specifically for them.
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It can contribute to it, along with clenching and grinding. Correcting the bite often helps but is not a guaranteed cure for jaw pain.
Can an Overbite Be Fixed Without Surgery?
Yes, in the large majority of cases. In children and teenagers, an overbite caused by a lower jaw that sits back can be corrected while the jaw is still growing, using appliances and elastics with braces. In adults, the jaw cannot be repositioned without surgery, but the teeth can be moved to correct the bite in most cases. Surgery is reserved for severe skeletal overbites in adults, and an orthodontist should say so at the consultation rather than partway through treatment.
Key takeaways
- Yes, in the large majority of cases at every age.
- Children: growth guidance. Adults: tooth movement to compensate.
- Surgery is reserved for severe skeletal cases and should be named at the consultation, not mid-treatment.
How overbites are corrected by age
| AGE | APPROACH |
|---|---|
| 9–13 | Growth modification — functional appliances or elastics with braces guide the lower jaw forward as it grows. Highest success rate for skeletal overjet. |
| 14–18 | Braces with elastics; remaining growth helps. Camouflage by tooth movement where growth is finishing. |
| Adults, mild–moderate | Braces or Spark aligners with elastics; sometimes upper premolar extractions to bring the front teeth back. |
| Adults, severe skeletal | Orthodontics combined with jaw surgery for full correction; camouflage treatment as an alternative with limits. |
Can clear aligners fix an overbite?
Mild to moderate overbites, yes — with attachments and elastics hooked to the trays. Deep bites needing significant vertical movement and large overjets are usually more efficient with braces.
How to know which category you are in
Only from records: a lateral X-ray shows whether the problem is in the teeth or the jaws, and by how much. Anyone who tells you surgery is or is not needed without that X-ray is guessing.
Frequently asked questions
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No. A small minority of adult cases. Most overbites are treated with orthodontics alone.
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About 10–13 for a skeletal overjet, while growth can be used. A dental deep bite can be treated at any age.
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Orthodontic benefits apply if the plan has them. Jaw surgery is often partly covered as medically necessary.
Underbite Treatment in Idaho Falls
An underbite is a bite in which the lower front teeth sit ahead of the upper ones. It is the one condition where early treatment matters most: in a child of 7–10, East Idaho Orthodontics can often correct an underbite with a growth appliance and avoid surgery later. In adults, mild underbites are treated with braces or aligners; significant skeletal underbites are corrected with orthodontics combined with jaw surgery. Treatment takes 12–30 months depending on the approach; early treatment costs $3,000–$4,000 and full treatment $4,800–$5,800.
Key takeaways
- Underbites get worse with growth — early treatment matters most here.
- Ages 7–10: a facemask and expander ($3,000–$4,000) can often avoid surgery later.
- Adult skeletal underbites need surgery for full correction; camouflage is the alternative.
Why underbites are treated early
The lower jaw keeps growing into the late teens, and an underbite tends to get worse, not better, with that growth. Treating early — usually with a facemask or expander to bring the upper jaw forward — takes advantage of the years when the upper jaw can still be moved. Waiting until growth is finished leaves surgery as the only option for the skeletal component.
Treatment by age
| AGE | APPROACH |
|---|---|
| 7–10 | Expander and reverse-pull facemask to advance the upper jaw; about 12 months. Free evaluation. |
| 11–16 | Braces with elastics to correct the dental component; monitoring of jaw growth through the late teens. |
| Adults, mild | Braces or Spark aligners to compensate — moving upper teeth forward and lower teeth back. |
| Adults, skeletal | Orthodontics before and after jaw surgery, coordinated with an oral surgeon. We say so at the consultation. |
Signs of an underbite in a child
Lower teeth visibly ahead of the upper when biting
A prominent chin or "long" lower face
Difficulty biting into food with the front teeth
A family history of underbite — it is strongly inherited
Frequently asked questions
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In a child, usually. In an adult, mild underbites yes; skeletal underbites need surgery for a full correction, though camouflage treatment can improve appearance and function.
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Sometimes, if lower-jaw growth is strong in the teens. Early treatment improves the odds substantially and reduces the size of any later correction.
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Often partially, when medically necessary. We coordinate the documentation with the oral surgeon.
Crossbite Treatment in Idaho Falls
A crossbite is a bite in which some upper teeth close inside the lower teeth instead of outside them. A posterior crossbite — on the back teeth — usually means the upper jaw is too narrow and is corrected in a growing child with a palatal expander over 4–6 months, followed by braces if needed. East Idaho Orthodontics treats crossbites in Idaho Falls from age 7; in adults, crossbites are treated with braces or aligners, and wide skeletal crossbites may need surgically assisted expansion.
Key takeaways
- A crossbite can make a child’s jaw grow asymmetrically — one of the clearest cases for early treatment.
- A palatal expander corrects most childhood crossbites over 4–6 months.
- Adult crossbites are treated with braces or aligners; wide ones may need assisted expansion.
Why crossbites should not wait
A crossbite on one side often makes the lower jaw shift to that side when the child closes. Over years, the jaw can grow asymmetrically to match. Expanding the upper jaw early removes the shift and lets the jaw grow straight. It is one of the clearest cases for early treatment in orthodontics.
How a palatal expander works
The expander is fixed to the upper back teeth. A parent turns a small key on the schedule we set for a few weeks, widening the appliance by a fraction of a millimetre each turn. In a child, the two halves of the upper jaw have not yet fused, so they separate slightly and new bone fills the gap. A temporary space between the front teeth is normal and closes on its own. The expander stays in for 4–6 months to let the bone mature.
Crossbites in teens and adults
Once the upper jaw has fused, an expander alone cannot widen it. Mild crossbites are corrected by tipping teeth with braces or aligners. Wide skeletal crossbites in adults are treated with surgically assisted expansion or with a bone-anchored expander, which we discuss honestly at the consultation.
Frequently asked questions
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Pressure for a minute after each turn, and some tightness across the nose and cheeks for the first days. It does not usually hurt.
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For a week or two, yes. Speech adapts quickly.
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Rarely. Most persist and some worsen with growth.
Gaps Between Teeth: Treatment in Idaho Falls
Spacing — gaps between teeth — is usually straightforward to close with Spark clear aligners or braces, often in 6–12 months for a limited case. A single gap between the upper front teeth (a diastema) sometimes needs the small band of tissue behind the lip released so the gap does not reopen. East Idaho Orthodontics treats spacing in Idaho Falls in children, teens and adults; limited cases cost $2,500–$4,000.
Key takeaways
- Gaps close readily with aligners or braces — often in 6–12 months, $2,500–$4,000 for a limited case.
- A closed front gap is one of the movements most likely to relapse; a bonded retainer is standard.
- A missing tooth changes the plan: close the space or hold it for an implant.
Why gaps happen
Teeth that are small relative to the jaw
A missing tooth, most often a lateral incisor or a premolar
A low frenum — the tissue between the upper front teeth
Tongue thrust or thumb habits pushing the front teeth forward
Gum disease letting teeth drift in adults
Closing the gap — and keeping it closed
Gaps close readily; the challenge is keeping them closed. A closed diastema is one of the movements most likely to relapse, so a bonded retainer behind the front teeth is standard. Where a frenum is the cause, a short frenectomy after the gap closes stops it from reopening.
When a gap is a missing tooth
If a tooth is congenitally missing, there are two paths: close the space orthodontically and reshape neighboring teeth, or hold the space open for an implant once growth is complete. We plan that with your dentist, because the right answer depends on the face and the bite, not just the gap.
Frequently asked questions
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Usually, yes. Spacing is one of the movements aligners do best.
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A single small gap, 3–6 months. Generalized spacing, 9–18 months.
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Without a retainer, often. With a bonded retainer, rarely.
Impacted Canine Treatment in Idaho Falls
An impacted canine is an upper "eye tooth" that has not erupted because it is stuck in the bone or angled toward the roots of the front teeth. It affects about 2 percent of people and is usually spotted on an X-ray around age 10–12. East Idaho Orthodontics treats impacted canines in Idaho Falls by creating space with braces, having an oral surgeon expose the tooth, and guiding it into position with a small chain — typically over 18–30 months. Caught early enough, removing a baby canine can let the permanent tooth correct its own path.
Key takeaways
- About 2 percent of people have an impacted canine, usually spotted around age 10–12.
- Caught by 11, removing the baby canine can let the permanent tooth correct itself.
- Later, the tooth is surgically exposed and guided into place over 18–30 months.
Why early detection matters
Between ages 9 and 11, an impacted canine can often be redirected simply by extracting the baby canine and making room. After about 13, the tooth has usually stopped moving on its own and needs surgical exposure. A panoramic X-ray at the age-7 evaluation, and a check of the canine position at 10, is how we catch it in time.
How treatment works
Braces create space in the arch where the canine belongs.
An oral surgeon uncovers the tooth and bonds a small bracket and chain to it.
Over months, the chain is gently tightened to bring the tooth down into the space.
Once it erupts, a bracket is placed and it is aligned like any other tooth.
What happens if an impacted canine is left alone
It can resorb the roots of the neighboring front teeth, form a cyst, or leave a baby canine in place that will eventually be lost. Treatment is not cosmetic.
Frequently asked questions
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The exposure is done under local anesthetic by an oral surgeon; soreness for a few days afterward. The orthodontic traction itself is mild pressure.
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Usually 6–12 months for the tooth to erupt, within a total treatment of 18–30 months.
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Rarely. The traction needed is more reliably applied with braces.
Ready to talk it through?
Consultations at East Idaho Orthodontics are free, take about an hour, and end with a written plan and an exact price. Request a free consultation.
Related: Braces · Orthodontic Resource Center