Dental misalignment, in which your teeth are crowded, crooked, or overlap one another, could lead to poor oral health, in addition to a negative impact on your appearance. Your Fort Worth, TX, orthodontist has an array of treatment options to correct smiles of all ages, from kids to adults. In fact, we can often do so with a cosmetic approach.

Reasons to Consider Addressing Your Smile

When you have uneven teeth, this means food particles could become trapped in places inaccessible to toothbrush bristles or even floss tape. The result is a higher risk of tooth decay, infection, gingivitis, and gum disease. The risk of bad breath and stained teeth also elevates too. Misalignment could upset the balance of your bite and put pressure on your jaw joints, The results could be trouble chewing, discomfort, and even the onset of TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding), which could increase the risk of damaged teeth and pain in the face and jaw. To avoid poor oral health and of course, improve the overall beauty of your smile too, you should consider orthodontic treatment.

Braces

For teens and adults with more severe cases of misalignment, our team could use braces to correct misalignment. The process involves placing a bracket on the front of each tooth. A thin arch wire is then connected to these brackets with bands. While braces are fairly obvious in their appearance, we can make them more subtle with ceramic brackets instead of metal ones. Ceramic is shaded to blend with the color of the surrounding tooth structure, offering a lifelike appearance. We then connect the wire with a clear band. Your braces are far less noticeable, and you can enjoy a straighter smile as we adjust tension in the arch wire during periodic visits.

Aligners

For a clear option, we may recommend Invisalign® for teens and adults. With Invisalign®, we ditch the brackets and wires, and instead create a series of plastic aligners designed using iTero® digital imaging technology. A set is worn for 22 hours a day, and a new set is then worn every two weeks. After about a year, or up to 18 months for some patients, a straighter smile is possible! Many people prefer this more invisible option.

Teeth Spacers and Retainers

For children, we could guide the growth and movement of the smile, reducing the severity of misalignment until they can wear braces or aligners. We do this with a phased approach using teeth spacers and custom retainers.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR TREATMENT OPTIONS?

We know how to help you enjoy a straighter smile with a more cosmetic approach. To learn more about how we address an uneven smile, then please call Lake Country Orthodontics in Fort Worth, TX at (817) 236-7846. Our office proudly serves patients who live in Azle, Saginaw, and all surrounding communities.