Do you have misalignment? Whether your crooked or crowded teeth seem minor, or appear severe, you benefit from treatment. Not only does correcting this issue improve smile beauty, you also give a major boost to your overall oral health, and help protect yourself from complications down the road. In today’s blog, your Fort Worth, TX, orthodontist will explain why misalignment should concern you!
The Causes of Poor Alignment
A number of factors could cause our teeth to erupt and grow crooked, such as the shape and size of our jaw, thumb sucking or tongue thrusting in childhood, premature loss of baby teeth, or loss of natural teeth in adulthood. The causes could impact the severity, and when we examine your smile with advanced digital technology, we will assess the factors behind your uneven teeth. From there, we choose the most appropriate treatment option, taking your age and specific alignment issues into consideration.
Short and Long-Term Oral Health Issues
In the short term, this could cause embarrassment, leading you to hide your smile or never feel truly comfortable showing off your smile in pictures or when meeting new people. You could also develop a higher risk of issues like tooth decay and gum disease. Misalignment often provides places in the smile for food particles to become trapped, available for bacteria to consume. This process creates a layer of plaque that not only weakens outer enamel, but inflames the gum tissues, boosting the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
In the long term, the pressure on your jaw joints could actually strain the smile and upset bite balance. You may be more likely to develop TMJ disorder or even bruxism (chronic teeth grinding), which increases the risk of headaches, jaw pain, and for some, damaged teeth vulnerable to decay or infection. For others, the factors behind misalignment could also obstruct air passages and lead to a higher risk of complications like sleep apnea later in life.
You’re Not Too Late to Start Treatment!
For children, we can start treatment with phased orthodontics, using retainers and other appliances to guide the growth of the jaw, teeth, and oral structures, limiting the severity of misalignment as the child grows. We then continue treatment in the teen and adult years. However, that doesn’t mean it’s too late to start treatment in those years! We can help adults and teens enjoy even smiles with clear Invisalign® aligners and braces!
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT?
Our team wants to help people in our community enjoy even smiles that not only look great, but improve oral health too. To learn more about our approach to improving smile alignment for kids and adults, then please call Lake Country Orthodontics in Fort Worth, TX at (817) 236-7846. Our office proudly serves patients who live in Springtown, Rome, and all surrounding communities.
