Bite & Alignment Problems Treated at Limestone Hills in Austin

  • PhD & Board-Certified
  • 4.9★ 220+ Reviews
  • Mon-Sun 7:30 AM - 10:30 PM · Emergency Hours · By Appointment
  • 2 Orthodontists, 1 Office
*Free consultation for new patients only. Patients in treatment $150, deductible from comprehensive treatment fee.
A man represents Dr. Viecilli diagnoses and treats Orthodontic Problems at Limestone Hills Orthodontics in Austin, TX
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Conditions Diagnosed and Treated at Limestone Hills Orthodontics

Crooked teeth are a symptom, not a diagnosis. The underlying cause might be jaw size, jaw position, tongue posture, airway restriction, a persistent childhood habit, or a combination. Click any condition below to read how Dr. Viecilli diagnoses the cause, which severity level fits, and which treatment path is recommended.

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Most Common
All Ages

Crowding

Overlapping or crooked teeth caused by insufficient jaw space. The most common reason families start orthodontic treatment is the condition most likely to worsen with age.
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Skeletal or Dental
All Ages

Overbite (Deep Bite)

Upper front teeth overlap the lower teeth too much, sometimes biting into the gum tissue. Can be a jaw-size problem, a tooth-position problem, or both.
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Early Treatment Best
Skeletal

Underbite

The lower jaw extends forward of the upper jaw. Early intervention around age 7 to 9 produces the best skeletal correction. Adults with severe cases may need surgical planning.
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Habit-Related
Kids & Adults

Open Bite

Front teeth do not touch when the back teeth are closed. Often driven by tongue posture, thumb habits, or skeletal growth patterns. Carries one of the highest relapse rates when the underlying cause is not addressed.
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Treat Early
Kids & Adults

Crossbite

Upper teeth sit inside the lower teeth on one or both sides. Left untreated, the jaw shifts to compensate, producing asymmetric growth, uneven wear, and TMJ strain.
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Cosmetic & Functional

Spacing (Gaps)

Extra space between teeth from missing teeth, small teeth, or a jaw-tooth size mismatch. Ranges from a cosmetic concern to a functional bite problem, depending on the cause.
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Pain-Driven
Adults & Teens

TMJ / Jaw Pain

Jaw pain, clicking, locking, and tension headaches. Evaluated with CBCT imaging and bite analysis before deciding whether orthodontics, a splint, or a referral is the right next step.
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Early Treatment Best
Children

Mouth Breathing

Chronic mouth breathing alters jaw and facial development, leading to crowded teeth, a narrow palate, and sleep issues. Roughly 80% of jaw growth is complete by age 7, so early screening matters.
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Habit-Related
Kids & Adults

Tongue Thrust

The tongue pushes forward against the front teeth during swallowing and rest. Causes and sustains open bites. Corrected with a myofunctional exercise protocol alongside orthodontic treatment.
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Surgical + Ortho
Teens

Impacted Canine

A permanent canine trapped in the jawbone. Requires CBCT diagnosis and coordinated surgical exposure with the periodontist or oral surgeon, then guided eruption into the arch.

Not sure which condition you have?

The free consultation includes a 3D CT scan, a panoramic image, and a chair-side review with the doctor. Most patients arrive uncertain about the exact name of the issue and leave with a written diagnosis and treatment plan. Coverage and pricing are confirmed at the same visit, so the family can decide whether to start without a second appointment.

Why Early Evaluation Matters

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child receive an orthodontic evaluation by age 7, and the reasoning is practical: several bite problems are significantly easier to correct while jaw growth is still active. A crossbite that takes a removable expander and six months to correct at age 8 often requires jaw surgery alongside braces at age 18 if left until the permanent teeth have fully erupted. That said, most age-7 evaluations lead to a recommendation of observation, not immediate treatment. The goal of early evaluation is to identify the small percentage of cases where intervening now prevents a much harder correction later.

How Limestone Hills Orthodontics Approaches These Conditions

Diagnosis drives treatment. Two bites that look the same to a patient can need completely different mechanics. Dr. Viecilli relies on three clinical principles across every condition on the list above.

Biomechanics Over Convention

Treatment recommendations at Limestone Hills Orthodontics are grounded in bone biology and biomechanical evidence, not in what is most commonly done. Dr. Viecilli’s PhD training in orthodontic biomechanics means the force applied to each tooth is calibrated to what the root and surrounding bone can respond to, not simply to a generic protocol.

Least-Invasive Effective Option

When two treatment paths reach the same clinical outcome, the practice selects the less invasive one. Dr. Viecilli is explicit with families when a condition does not require treatment, when waiting is the better choice, and when a different specialist should lead the case. The recommendation is always driven by the patient’s actual needs, not by treatment volume.

Root Cause, Not Just Alignment

Crooked teeth are a symptom. The underlying driver might be jaw size, jaw position, airway restriction, tongue posture, or a skeletal discrepancy that teeth-only treatment cannot fix. Dr. Viecilli’s diagnostic sequence is designed to identify the driver first, so the treatment plan addresses what is actually causing the problem.

Diagnostic Workflow

Every new-patient consultation at Limestone Hills Orthodontics follows the same sequence so nothing is missed, regardless of the reason the family came in.

1

3D Cone-Beam CT Scan

Every new-patient consultation at Limestone Hills Orthodontics includes a complimentary i-CAT FLX V7 CBCT scan at no charge. The scan provides a three-dimensional view of the teeth, roots, jaw bones, and airway in a single image, which a two-dimensional panoramic X-ray cannot replicate. This step is completed before Dr. Viecilli enters the room.

2

Digital Intraoral Scan

A Medit i700 digital scanner captures the full arch shape and bite relationship without physical impressions. The scan takes 3 to 5 minutes and produces a precise 3D model of the dentition that informs appliance design, aligner fabrication, and retainer planning. Patients see their own teeth on screen in real time.

3

Clinical Examination by Dr. Viecilli

Dr. Viecilli personally conducts every clinical examination. He evaluates facial symmetry, jaw function, airway screening findings from the CBCT, soft tissue, and tooth position against the diagnostic records gathered in steps 1 and 2. No clinical decisions are delegated to an assistant or associate at this stage.

4

Diagnostic Synthesis

After the examination, Dr. Viecilli integrates the imaging data, the clinical findings, and the patient’s growth stage into a diagnosis. For growing patients, the jaw development trajectory is factored alongside the current bite. Conditions that require a referral to another specialist are identified at this step before a treatment plan is written.

5

Treatment Plan Presentation

The complete treatment plan is presented in the same appointment, including the specific condition identified, the recommended treatment path, the clinical rationale for that choice, the timeline, and exact pricing. Families leave with all of that information in writing and no same-day decision is required.

*Free consultation for new patients only. Patients in treatment $150, deductible from the comprehensive treatment fee.

Treatment Options by Condition

Most conditions on this list can be treated with more than one approach. Limestone Hills Orthodontics selects the least invasive, effective option and documents why it was chosen. The tiles below summarize which tools match which problems. A full treatment plan is built after the diagnostic records.

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