Yes, braces can change your face shape — but not in the way most people expect. Braces don't reshape your bones directly.
What they do is reposition your teeth and correct your bite, and because teeth and jaws form the structural foundation of the lower third of your face, those changes can meaningfully alter how your lips, chin, jawline, and profile look.
The extent of the change depends on two things: your age and the specific orthodontic issue being corrected.
A teenager correcting a severe overbite will see more noticeable facial changes than an adult with mild crowding.
Understanding exactly what changes are realistic — and what braces cannot do — helps set accurate expectations before treatment begins.
This guide breaks it down condition by condition so you know precisely what to expect.
How Can Braces Change Your Face Shape?
Braces work by applying continuous gentle pressure to teeth, gradually moving them into correct alignment. This process directly affects the lower third of the face — the area from the nose down to the chin — in several ways:
- Lip support — teeth act as a structural scaffold for the lips. When teeth are repositioned, lip posture changes. Protruding teeth that previously pushed the lips forward will allow them to relax. Retruded teeth that left the lips unsupported will gain better structural backing.
- Jaw posture — correcting bite relationships changes how the upper and lower jaws relate to each other, which affects the position and definition of the jawline and chin.
- Muscle tension — misaligned bites cause facial muscles to work harder and unevenly. Correcting the bite can reduce chronic muscle strain, which subtly affects the contours of the lower face.
- Soft tissue drape — the skin and soft tissue of the face drape over the underlying bone and tooth structure. When that structure changes, the soft tissue follows.
These changes are gradual, proportionate, and natural-looking. They enhance your existing features rather than creating a surgical-level transformation.
Does Getting Braces Change Your Face Shape at Any Age?
Age is the most important factor in determining how much braces will change your face.
Teens and Children: The Most Significant Changes
During adolescence, the jaw and facial bones are still growing. Orthodontic treatment during this window can actually guide the direction of growth — not just move teeth within an already-set structure. This means:
- Bite correction can influence jaw projection and chin position as the face develops
- The jawline can become more defined as growth is guided into better alignment
- Facial symmetry can improve as developing bone responds to corrected bite forces
- Changes are more dramatic and more permanent than in adults
This is one of the primary reasons orthodontists recommend early evaluation — ideally by age 7 — so that growth-guided treatment can be considered when it will have the greatest impact.
Adults: Subtle but Real Improvement
Adult facial bones are fully developed, so braces cannot redirect growth. However, meaningful facial changes are still possible through:
- Repositioning teeth to better support the lips and cheeks
- Correcting bite alignment to improve jaw posture and jawline definition
- Reducing muscle strain from a misaligned bite
- Improving the relationship between the lips, nose, and chin in profile
Adult changes tend to be more subtle than teen changes, but they are real and often noticeable — particularly in profile photos.
Facial Changes by Condition: What to Expect Based on Your Bite
This is what most articles miss. The facial changes you'll see from braces depend almost entirely on which orthodontic condition is being corrected. Here's a condition-by-condition breakdown:
Overbite Correction
An overbite is when the upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth excessively. A deep overbite can make the lower face look shorter, the chin appear recessed, and the lips strained when closing.
Facial changes after correction:
- Lower face height is restored — the vertical dimension between nose and chin increases slightly
- The chin appears more projected and better defined
- Lips close more naturally without tension
- Profile balance between nose, lips, and chin improves significantly
Overbite correction tends to produce some of the most noticeable and positive facial changes of any orthodontic treatment.
Check out overbite before and after correction.
Underbite Correction
An underbite is when the lower jaw protrudes in front of the upper jaw. It makes the lower face appear heavy and the chin overly prominent, and can give the profile an imbalanced appearance.
Facial changes after correction:
- The lower jaw retracts to a more balanced position
- The chin becomes less prominent relative to the rest of the face
- Profile harmony between the forehead, nose, lips, and chin improves
- The jawline looks less heavy
Severe underbites in adults may require jaw surgery in addition to braces to achieve full correction, as braces alone cannot move the jaw bone in adults.
Learn more about underbite correction here.
Overjet Correction (Protruding Front Teeth)
Overjet refers to how far the upper front teeth protrude horizontally beyond the lower teeth. Significant overjet pushes the upper lip forward, making it appear prominent and sometimes making it difficult to close the lips naturally.
Facial changes after correction:
- The upper lip relaxes back to a more natural position
- Lip protrusion reduces significantly
- The profile becomes straighter and more balanced
- The area between the nose and upper lip looks less strained
This is one of the conditions where facial change is most visually dramatic — before and after photos of overjet correction often show a notable profile improvement.
Crowding Correction
Crowding itself — teeth overlapping and misaligned within the arch — has a less direct impact on facial shape than bite issues. However, severe crowding can affect lip support and smile symmetry.
Facial changes after correction:
- Lip support becomes more even across the full smile
- The smile arc improves, which affects how the face looks when smiling
- In cases where crowding caused teeth to protrude slightly, lip posture may improve
Mild to moderate crowding correction produces the most subtle facial changes of any condition.
Learn more about what to do about crowding and misaligned teeth here.
Crossbite Correction
A crossbite is when upper and lower teeth don't align side to side — some upper teeth sit inside the lower teeth instead of outside. Crossbites often cause the jaw to shift to one side when biting, leading to facial asymmetry.
Facial changes after correction:
- Facial asymmetry caused by jaw shifting reduces or resolves
- The chin appears more centered
- Muscle imbalance on one side of the face decreases
- The overall facial outline becomes more symmetrical
Learn more about crossbite treatment here.
What Does a Jawline Before and After Braces Look Like?
The jawline is one of the most commonly asked-about areas. Here's what's realistic:
Cases where the jawline improves noticeably:
- Deep overbite correction — restoring vertical dimension makes the jawline appear sharper and more defined
- Underbite correction — rebalancing jaw position creates a more proportionate jawline
- Crossbite correction with jaw shifting — centering the jaw improves the symmetry of the jawline
- Cases with significant overjet — reducing lip protrusion creates a cleaner profile from nose to chin to jaw
Cases where jawline change is minimal:
- Mild crowding with no bite issues
- Cases where the bite is already well-aligned and only tooth positioning needs correction
The jawline changes that braces produce are most visible in side profile photos and in photos taken from a slight angle — they're often less obvious straight on.
Are the Facial Changes from Braces Permanent?
Yes — with one important condition. The facial changes produced by braces are permanent as long as you wear your retainer as directed after treatment.
Teeth have a natural tendency to shift back toward their original positions after braces are removed. This process is called relapse. When teeth shift, they gradually lose the improved alignment that supported your lips, jaw posture, and profile balance — and some of the facial improvements can reverse over time.
Wearing your retainer as prescribed — typically full-time for the first several months, then nightly long-term — preserves both your dental results and the facial improvements that came with them.
Learn more about retainers and post-treatment care at Diamond Braces
What Braces Cannot Change About Your Face
Setting realistic expectations is just as important as understanding what's possible. Braces cannot:
- Change cheekbone width or prominence — cheekbones are mid-face bone structure entirely unaffected by orthodontic treatment
- Alter forehead shape or height — completely outside the scope of orthodontics
- Dramatically reshape the nose — though very subtle profile changes around the nose-lip junction can occur with overjet correction
- Change eye shape or spacing
- Dramatically reshape the jawbone itself in adults — significant jaw repositioning in adults requires orthognathic (jaw) surgery, not braces alone
- Produce surgical-level facial transformation — before-and-after photos on social media are often misleading; braces produce natural, proportionate improvements, not dramatic alterations
The changes braces produce are specifically confined to the lower third of the face — the area from the base of the nose to the chin. Everything above that is unaffected.
Do Braces Change Your Face Shape in a Positive Way?
For the vast majority of patients, yes. The facial changes produced by orthodontic treatment are designed to enhance natural proportions, not alter them. Results are:
- Gradual — changes happen over months, so they look natural rather than sudden
- Proportionate — orthodontists plan treatment with facial harmony in mind, not just tooth position
- Personally appropriate — treatment is tailored to your specific face, bite, and goals
Most patients report looking like themselves after braces — but more balanced, more rested, and more confident. The improvement is noticeable without being conspicuous.
Learn more about braces treatment at Diamond Braces
Frequently Asked Questions
Can braces change your face shape?
Yes. Braces reposition teeth and correct bite relationships, which changes how the lips, jawline, chin, and profile look. The lower third of the face — from the nose to the chin — is most affected. Changes are gradual, natural-looking, and proportionate. The extent of change depends on your age and the specific orthodontic condition being corrected.
Do braces change face shape in adults?
Yes, though more subtly than in teens. Adult facial bones are fully developed, so braces cannot redirect growth. However, correcting bite alignment and repositioning teeth still improves lip support, jaw posture, and profile balance — producing real, visible facial improvements, particularly in profile.
Will braces change my jawline?
In many cases, yes. Overbite correction, underbite correction, and crossbite correction can all produce meaningful jawline improvement. Deep overbite correction tends to produce the most dramatic jawline change — restoring vertical dimension makes the jawline appear sharper and more defined. Mild crowding correction with no bite issues produces minimal jawline change.
Do braces change face shape permanently?
Yes — as long as you wear your retainer as directed. Braces produce permanent changes to tooth position and bite alignment, which supports lasting facial improvements. Without retention, teeth can shift back over time, gradually reversing some of the improvements.
What facial changes can I expect from braces?
The most common changes are improved lip posture, better profile balance, a more defined jawline, and reduced facial asymmetry. The specific changes depend on your orthodontic condition — overbite and overjet correction tend to produce the most noticeable facial improvements, while mild crowding correction is more subtle.
Can braces change your face shape without surgery?
Yes. For most orthodontic conditions, braces can produce meaningful facial improvements without surgery. Jaw surgery (orthognathic surgery) is only needed for severe jaw discrepancies in adults — cases where the jaw bones themselves need to be repositioned, which braces alone cannot achieve.
How long does it take to see facial changes from braces?
Most patients begin noticing subtle changes within the first 6–12 months of treatment as teeth move and bite relationships begin to improve. The most significant facial changes typically become visible toward the end of treatment — often in the final 6 months — when the bite is fully corrected.
