When you have teeth that are uneven, then your crooked, crowded, and overlapping teeth could lead to issues with the health and function of your bite, not to mention the appearance of your smile. Which is why you may need an appointment to discuss orthodontics. In today’s blog, your Celina, TX, dentist talks about orthodontics, such as braces and ClearCorrect™.
The Causes of Misalignment
Why do we develop uneven teeth? Our teeth could be crooked and crowded, or overlap one another due to a number of factors. For example, in childhood thumb sucking could be a factor, as could the premature loss of baby teeth, which alters how the permanent ones arrive. The eruption of wisdom teeth in our late teens and early 20s could crowd the smile and create misalignment. Losing teeth in the teen or adult years could also upset the balance of our bites and allow teeth to drift from their positions, creating misalignment. As part of your treatment, we will carefully examine the smile to understand the cause of your misalignment, and to help choose the correct orthodontic solution.
Complications of Uneven Teeth
Uneven teeth are often difficult to brush and floss thoroughly, so food and drink particles can remain trapped between the teeth, leading to an increased risk of tooth decay and gum disease, as well as bad breath and even teeth stains. Misalignment could also mean pressure on your jaw joints, so your smile is more vulnerable to painful complications like TMJ disorder or bruxism (teeth grinding), which could damage your smile. You may also feel uncomfortable with your appearance, which impacts your social interactions and overall quality of life. But our team can help with orthodontics!
Planning Treatment
When you’re ready for treatment, please give us a call right away so we can examine your smile with advanced imaging systems and understand the factors behind your misalignment. We then assess the severity of your misalignment. These factors will be taken into account when we choose your treatment option. We typically begin treatment in the teen or adult years, as we want all of the permanent teeth to erupt and their surfaces to be properly calcified. We will provide detailed instructions for cleaning your teeth to prevent discoloration and tooth decay during treatment, so your smile looks its best when we wrap up your orthodontic treatment.
Braces
For more severe cases of misalignment, our team could offer braces. Our team will connect metal brackets to the front facing sides of each tooth, and then connect a portion of a thin arch wire to them with bands. We may also connect the upper and lower jaw brackets with bands too. During routine visits to our team, we will adjust tension in the arch wire to shift the teeth into position. The typical treatment time takes about two years, as the jawbone and gums need to reform around the new portions of your teeth. We will monitor your smile throughout the process.
ClearCorrect™
Our team also offers a more cosmetic approach with ClearCorrect™, which uses a series of clear aligners. This is often preferred for teens and adults, as this provides minimal changes to your appearance and the aligners are practically invisible. Each set of aligners is custom-made for your smile, and is made from a BPA-free plastic material. Each set is worn for two weeks at a time, 20 to 22 hours a day. They shift the teeth gradually and gently into optimal positions, and the aligners are also easy to clean and can travel with you easily during the holidays. There are fewer office visits with this option, and you also enjoy the benefits of removable orthodontics. Which means you can take them out before you eat, so you don’t have to avoid certain folds or worry about particles being stuck in your orthodontics. Being removable also makes brushing and flossing much simpler and effective, so you’re less likely to have stained teeth or cavities during and after treatment.
If you have any questions about how we correct misalignment with braces or ClearCorrect™, or about which one is right for you, then please reach out to our team to schedule a consultation. Now is a great time to see our team, as you can use your remaining 2023 dental insurance benefits before they expire, or put your remaining health savings account funds to use before they’re gone. Let’s start your journey to an even smile today!
Learn More About Custom Orthodontics At Celina Family Dentistry
We would like to help you avoid the complications of an uneven smile. To learn more about correcting your uneven teeth, then give us a call at Celina Family Dentistry at (214) 851-0130 today!
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