By making the decision to straighten your teeth, you improve your smile’s appearance by improving oral hygiene while providing a more uniform position. This is because orthodontic treatment helps you fight cavities by allowing you to access the entire surface of each tooth, and properly distributing the force of your bite. When your teeth are out of alignment, certain members receive disproportionate wear and tear that can erode your enamel. As you lose this protective surface layer, the inner portion of your tooth is susceptible to infection by oral bacteria that results in cavity formation. If your teeth crowd or overlap with one another, they may also hide pockets of bacteria from your daily brushing and flossing habit. This allows plaque to accumulate and erode the enamel as well.
At your Ft. Worth, TX, orthodontist’s office, the health of your smile is just as important as its appearance! The right approach to corrective work can help you prevent tooth decay while providing a more beautiful grin. When you first visit our practice, we can examine your degree of malocclusion and create a custom treatment plan for your care. With both traditional braces and Invisalign® clear aligners, we can straighten your smile to help you fight decay.
How Malocclusion Contributes To Tooth Decay
The improper alignment of your teeth, known as malocclusion, can help cavities form in multiple ways. Any factor that prevents you from accessing the entirety of a tooth’s surface when brushing or flossing contributes to decay. This is because oral bacteria and debris from your meals can form a plaque that hides in the nooks and crannies of crowded teeth. Left untreated, these bacteria produce acids that wear away at your surface enamel and eventually create a permanent hole or cavity. Furthermore, when your bite does not evenly meet, you risk physically wearing or grinding away your enamel. This similarly creates the environment for cavity formation when you lose the tooth’s surface strength.
Orthodontic Correction For Better Oral Hygiene
If you would like a straighter smile that is easier to clean, we can treat your dental misalignment. For patients with significant malocclusion, we may suggest traditional braces with tooth-colored brackets. This orthodontic appliance provides comprehensive correction with the esthetic advantage of brackets that are hard to see. By matching the natural shade of your enamel, your braces should blend into your smile.
For even greater discretion throughout treatment, we offer Invisalign® clear aligner therapy. Made of a transparent, BPA-free material, clear aligners straighten your teeth while remaining practically invisible. Because they are removable when brushing, flossing, or eating, you will not worry about cavity-causing debris collecting on your appliance.
Speak With Your Fort Worth, TX Orthodontist About Preventing Tooth Decay!
When your teeth crowd, cavities can form from plaque deposits in spaces that are difficult to clean, but by correcting your alignment, you can more easily brush and floss your entire mouth. To learn how we can support your oral hygiene while improving your smile, call Lake Country Orthodontics in Fort Worth, TX at (817) 236-7846.
