What is Teeth Straightening?
Teeth straightening is an orthodontic treatment to correct the alignment of crowded, crooked, or protruding teeth. Straightening your teeth will improve your confidence, appearance and the overall functionality of the mouth. Teeth straightening treatment can be started for children after the age of 12 – that is after their adult teeth are in, while adults can be treated at any time.
What causes crooked teeth?
There could be various reasons why teeth become crooked – Sometimes baby teeth could come in crooked due to prolonged sucking on a pacifier or because the teeth do not fit-in properly in the gum space. Having crooked baby teeth does not mean the permanent will grow crooked too.
A few more issues that cause crooked teeth:
Jaw size
Smaller jaws may be responsible for crowded, crooked, and misaligned teeth.
Poor Myofunctional habits
These are habits that are prolonged repetitive behaviours and affect the muscles or functions of the mouth or face. Habits like:
- thumb sucking
- prolonged use of pacifiers or bottles
- tongue thrusting
- mouth breathing
Genetics and heredity
If one or both of your parents have crowded or crooked teeth, it’s possible that you too will.
Poor dental care
Not having your oral health checked for over a year by a professional dentist will cause various oral problems like cavities, gum disease, etc. When these are untreated they can lead to crooked teeth and other major dental issues can occur.
Poor nutrition
This is a very common cause among children, poor nutrition leads to tooth decay and poor dental development, which can potentially cause crooked teeth.
Facial injury
A hard blow or an injury to the mouth or face can knock teeth out of place, resulting in one or more crooked teeth.
What are the problems caused due to crooked or misaligned teeth?
- Periodontal disease.
- Difficulty chewing and digesting.
- Excess wear and tear of teeth, gums and the jaw muscles
- Speech difficulties
- Lowers self-esteem
What are some teeth straightening methods or how can I straighten my teeth?
There are different teeth-straightening methods and they are:
Braces:
Braces are commonly used for teeth straightening. Braces have to be worn for varying durations but are normally worn between six months and two years. It is a highly effective and non-invasive method of teeth straightening. It works by gradually pushing the teeth into its proper place, thereby fixing the alignment. However, metal braces are unattractive and are not removable.
Lingual braces:
It makes use of brackets and wires that are not visible as they are fitted to the inside of the teeth.
Invisalign:
Invisalign is another alternative to braces, which is mostly preferred by adults. It is transparent and is removable. As the patient’s teeth position change, dentists can change the shape of the Invisalign too, which makes it more effective than regular braces.
Retainers:
Retainers are used in place of braces or used as a post-treatment after the braces have been taken out. If the retainer is not worn regularly, then teeth could revert back to their crooked state.
Surgery:
If the reason for crooked teeth is due to overcrowding, surgery is recommended – where the dental surgeon will pluck the teeth that caused the crowding. If this creates gaps, dental implants will be used to fill those gaps.
Veneers:
A ceramic cover is attached to the front portion of your teeth making it look straighter or whiter without actually changing the location of your teeth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How frequently should I visit the dentist?
The braces have to be adjusted, normally every four to six weeks.
Will I need to have teeth removed?
In most cases, teeth are removed to create space for the remaining teeth to be straightened. Moreover, it depends on the complexity of the situation and the method adopted to treat.
Is having braces painful?
Initial tenderness and discomfort are normal, this will pass as you adjust over the first few days. It is necessary to have good oral hygiene as the treatment increases the chances of tooth decay, if not well maintained.
At Dental Solutions, we offer all kinds of treatments to fix crooked or misaligned teeth. We are among the best dental clinics in Bangalore offering Invisalign® braces and other dental treatments.
