When teens and adults have uneven teeth, this misalignment could lead to issues with the appearance of the smile. But there could also be serious oral health complications too! In today’s blog, your Richardson, TX, dentist talks about how we can straighten smiles and help prevent major oral health problems with orthodontics like braces and Invisalign®.
The Oral Health Issues Linked to Misalignment
How does having uneven teeth impact your smile’s health? When you have misalignment, this could provide places in your smile for particles of sugar and starch to become trapped. Even brushing and flossing could fail to reach them, which means an increased risk of tooth decay and gum disease. For others, the stress on your jaw joints from poor alignment could lead to painful complications like TMJ disorder and bruxism (chronic teeth grinding). You could also simply feel self-conscious about your smile, which could have negative impacts in your social interactions and overall quality of life. Correcting your smile with orthodontics allows us to remove your oral health and provide a more beautiful smile at the same time!
Treatment with Braces
Which option is best for your smile? We will carefully examine your smile to assess the cause and severity of your misalignment. For more severe cases, braces may be the best option. With this selection, we will connect metal brackets to the front of each tooth, and then connect a portion of a thin arch wire to each one. When we adjust tension in the arch wire, this helps shift the teeth closer and closer to optimal alignment. The total treatment time usually requires about two years.
Clear Invisalign® Aligners
We’re proud to offer our teen and adult patients with more minor cases of misalignment a cosmetic alternative to braces. Instead of metal brackets and wires, our team will adjust the positions of your teeth using a series of clear and practically invisible aligners, each one custom-made for your smile. These are also removable, which makes mealtime and brushing and flossing much simpler for our patients. Optimal results could take as little as one year. If you have any questions about our braces or Invisalign® aligners, or if you want to see which option is best for correcting your misalignment, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help you smile with confidence again!
Your Richardson, TX, Dentist Offers Orthodontics for All Ages
We want to help you and your family find a solution to crooked, crowded, and overlapping teeth. You deserve to enjoy better oral health and to smile with confidence! For more information on correcting uneven teeth, then please schedule a consultation by calling the Viva Dental Family Dentistry office nearest you at (214) 337-7800 (Dallas) or (972) 437-6000 (Richardson).
