You are looking at a side-profile photo and picturing it after braces. Will your lips sit differently? Will your chin look stronger, or your cheeks look flatter?
Braces move teeth, not bone. Your lips rest against your front teeth, so moving those teeth can shift your lip position and profile a little. The change grows when the bite sits far out of line. Your jaw keeps its shape unless it is still growing or a surgeon repositions it.
Dr. Amani Morra is a Certified Orthodontic Specialist with a Master of Science in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics from the University of Manitoba. That field studies how teeth and jaws relate to each other. She treats children, teens, and adults in one South Surrey office.
What to know before you compare profile photos
- Braces move teeth, but they cannot change the shape of your jawbone, cheekbones, or chin.
- Lip position is where most people notice a shift, usually after front teeth that sit far forward or far back move into line.
- Phase 1 treatment for children runs about 6 to 12 months and happens while the jaws are still growing.
- Adults are about one in four orthodontic patients in Canada, according to the Canadian Association of Orthodontists.
- A free consultation shows how your own bite affects your profile.
Do braces change the bone in your face?
Braces do not change the bone in your face. They press gently on teeth, and the teeth move through the bone that holds them. Braces can move your teeth, but they cannot move your jaw or change its shape. Braces do not reshape your cheekbones, jaw width, or chin point.
The American Association of Orthodontists says genetics, bone growth, and muscle development shape your face. It also says tongue posture alone, the idea behind “mewing,” does not restructure it.
What braces do change is the position of the teeth that support your lips. When the front teeth move, the lips follow them. Front teeth that sit far forward can make the lips look strained or hard to close. Once those teeth move back, the lips can rest together more easily.
That shift builds slowly. Full-arch Phase 2 treatment typically runs 12 to 24 months at Dream Orthodontics, and lip changes appear gradually across that time, not on the day the braces go on.
Does age change what braces can do?
Age changes what braces can do. Children are still growing, so treatment can guide how the jaws develop. Adults have finished growing, so braces change tooth position and lip support but not the jawbone. Teens fall in between. A Cochrane review of 27 trials and 1,251 children and teens found that early treatment reduced injuries to prominent upper front teeth.
Dream Orthodontics uses a two-phase system for kids. Phase 1 starts around ages 7 to 10 and targets narrow arches, crossbites, and jaw asymmetry. Dr. Morra recommends a first visit at ages 6 to 8, long before most children need braces. Parents can read about orthodontics for children before they book.
Teens treated between ages 11 and 16 sit in the middle, because some growth remains but the bite is closer to its final shape.
The 2018 Cochrane review, led by Klaus Batista, found that late treatment with functional appliances reduced how far the upper front teeth stick out, compared with no treatment.
Adults see a different kind of change: teeth move, lips settle, and the smile looks wider or more even, while the jaw itself stays put.
The bite problems that move your profile most
Bite problems that push the front teeth far forward or far back change the profile most. Overbites and underbites are the main examples. Crowding or small gaps usually change the smile more than the profile. The further your upper and lower teeth sit out of line, the more room there is for a visible change.
| Bite problem | What you may notice | What braces can and cannot do |
| Overbite | Upper front teeth and lip sit forward | Braces can pull the front teeth back so the lips rest more easily. They cannot grow a smaller lower jaw. |
| Underbite | Lower teeth, lip, and chin look prominent | Braces can improve how the teeth meet. If the jawbone causes the problem, surgery may be part of the plan. |
| Open bite | Front teeth do not touch | Braces can bring the front teeth together in many cases, which changes how the mouth rests. |
| Narrow upper arch | A narrow smile with dark corners | Widening works best while a child is still growing. |
| Crowding | An uneven smile | Straightening changes the smile more than the profile. |
Bite patterns are not predictions, since two people with the same overbite can show different changes at the lips. Look at your side profile in a mirror, and mention it at your visit if your upper lip sits well ahead of your chin. If you want the wider picture, read whether braces change your face shape. Facial change is a side effect of treatment, and the goal is a healthy, stable bite.
Habits matter too, especially in children. Thumb sucking and tongue thrusting can push the front teeth forward or hold them apart. Invisalign First, the Phase 1 aligner program for ages 6 to 10, addresses those habits along with narrow arches and crossbites. Catching them early can mean less to correct later.
Does removing teeth change your profile?
Removing teeth to make room can change lip position in some patients. Dr. Morra’s stated approach is treatment without extractions when possible, and she uses light force mechanics, which means steady, gentle pressure on the teeth. Few studies compare how extractions change the profile, so the effect on any one face is hard to predict.
The research is thin. A 2021 meta-analysis in BioMed Research International compared extraction and non-extraction patients. It found no clear pooled difference in nasolabial angle (the angle between nose and upper lip) or lip position. The authors called the evidence insufficient and asked for more trials.
No one can promise how a given face will respond to extractions. Dr. Morra looks at your bite and your profile together before she suggests a plan.
Many people worry that braces will leave them looking flat, thin, or older. That fear is common, and it deserves a straight answer at your consultation. Whether it applies to you depends on your bite, and we decide on extractions on a case-by-case basis.
When is jaw surgery the answer?
Jaw surgery becomes part of the plan when the bite problem comes from the jawbone, not just the teeth. Surgery and orthodontics combine over two to three years, with braces before and after the operation. Surgeons often wait until the jaw has stopped growing, and an orthodontic assessment shows which group you are in. The deciding factor is where the problem sits, in the teeth or in the bone.
The process has three stages. Braces first prepare the teeth. Surgery then lines up the upper and lower jaws. Follow-up orthodontic treatment finishes the bite.
Most people return to daily routines three to four weeks after jaw surgery. Full healing can take up to a year.
If you hoped braces alone would change your jaw, that can be a letdown. It is far better to hear it at a consultation than a year into treatment. Dr. Morra can tell you at your first visit whether braces alone fit your bite.
Getting assessed in South Surrey
Every new patient gets a free consultation, in the office or online, with no referral needed. For a virtual consult, you send eight photos and an intake form, and Dr. Morra reviews them and follows up with options. In the office, she plans from a 3D digital scan. Dr. Morra’s background includes membership in the Canadian Association of Orthodontists, and she personally plans every case.
One specialist treats every age at Dream Orthodontics, so parents and children can ask their questions in the same office. Bring your profile questions, and ask what would move, what would not, and what the plan is if your jaw is part of the picture.
Our South Surrey orthodontic office is at #101, 3038 Croydon Drive. We open at 7:00 AM on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and we offer early morning and evening appointments on Surrey School District Pro-D days.
To talk through your own bite with Dr. Morra and the Dream Orthodontics team, call 604-542-8552 or book your free consultation.