Orthodontic treatment does more than straighten teeth and create beautiful smiles! The end results aren’t just to get that beautiful smile and perfect teeth. Orthodontic treatment can improve several dental issues including malocclusion that are affecting not just your oral health, but your overall health.
Dental Issues That Orthodontic Treatment Helps
What Is Malocclusion
Malocclusion is a Latin word meaning “bad closing”, which in the dental or orthodontic world is a crossbite, overbite, or underbite. With most patients, malocclusion is noticeable to everyone, but sometimes, it is only visible by an experienced eye. Regardless of the type of malocclusion, it can compromise a person’s long-term oral health.
The sooner malocclusion issues are diagnosed, and treatment begins, the better a person’s oral health and overall health will be. There are few of us that have that ‘perfect’ bite. In fact, there are more people that have some degree of malocclusion. Malocclusion can often be a hereditary condition. But in most cases, it is from habits a person learned as a child and carried on with them into adulthood.
Diastema
Having a space between two front teeth is known as a diastema, a common occurrence in children. Left untreated, it can follow them into adulthood, affecting their confidence. Teeth that are overcrowded or unevenly spaced are common as well, all of which can be corrected with orthodontics with some dental work assisting like extractions. A mild case of diastema can be corrected with invisible aligners, some cases require braces.
What Causes A Misaligned Jaw
A misaligned jaw is typically the result of an uneven bite. When teeth are crooked or crowded, it can cause discomfort and pain, and over time, cause issues with a patient’s TMJ (temporal mandibular joint). This results in multiple complications like facial pain and more. An orthodontic treatment with aligners or braces can align and straighten your teeth while moving the jaw into the correct position. With a correctly aligned jaw, the facial structure has a positive impact, giving it an even and more symmetrical appearance.
What Is An Open Bites
Often confused as a type of malocclusion, it this typically the result of excessive pacifier use or thumb sucking as a child. It creates between the anterior upper and lower teeth a large space. As a child that uses a pacifier or sucks their thumb, they will often outgrow this as their baby teeth are replaced with their permanent teeth. However, in some cases, the permanent teeth care affected and that can be treated by aligners or braces depending on the severity.
What Are Periodontal Problems
Teeth that are severely misaligned make it difficult for proper teeth brushing and impossible to floss. This can lead to gingivitis, gum disease, and other gum issues. Orthodontic treatment with braces can align and straighten the teeth, allowing better oral care with teeth brushing and flossing. This is typically dealt with braces, but some situations, aligners may be possible.
Why A Balanced Bite Matters
Treating malocclusion and other dental issues is more than for just cosmetics. Orthodontic treatment with aligners or braces is an investment in healthy, long life. Our everyday action of chewing puts a lot of pressure on the teeth and jaws. When the teeth aren’t aligned correctly, they don’t chew evenly and our food doesn’t digest properly, affecting our health.
In addition to how we chew and our food digests, malocclusion can have a serious impact on how we pronounce words and speak. It even affects the shape of our face with our jawbone correctly aligned.
The Orthodontic Options Today Are Better Than Ever!
Start your path to a healthier mouth and schedule a checkup with Alexandria Orthodontics today. Regardless how small you think your dental problem is, having a professional exam can assure that a perfect smile is in your future.
Thank you for choosing Alexandria Orthodontics as partners in your healthy lifestyle!
