Who doesn’t love to have a perfect set of bright shiny teeth? But sadly, only a few are lucky to have them. Misaligned teeth are common among children and adults and it does not require any medical procedure. But some may have extreme cases of crooked and misaligned teeth that require can be corrected using dental procedures, to restore self-esteem and confidence.
Crooked teeth can be seen in milk teeth as well as permanent teeth. Teeth move into crooked positions because they do not have the assigned space available to them. When one looks at overall tooth development, genetics or heredity is given importance. But there are other factors that contribute to crooked teeth development like nutrition, food, and lifestyle. Habits in childhood such as thumb sucking, prolonged use of pacifiers or tongue thrusting also affect how teeth develop in children. Improper jaw development is also one of the reasons for imperfect or misaligned teeth. Improper jaw sizes such as overbite and underbite also lead to misaligned teeth. Diseases such as asthma, periodontal diseases and other disease conditions can affect malfunctioned teeth development. Long term use of medicines sometimes is also known to affect proper teeth development.
Correct procedures are required when they affect speech, digestions problems because of improper chewing and bring down self-confidence to an extremely low level that a person is unable to socialise with others. There are different correct dental measures available. They are available at most of the dental clinics and one can discuss with the dentist and opt for the best option suitable.
Braces
One of the traditional corrective measures that is taken to correct crooked teeth is braces. Earlier it was seen mostly worn by adolescent kids to straighten their teeth. Now more and more adults are also using braces to get a perfect set of teeth. The type of braces be it metal or clear braces or the ones that are placed behind the teeth – are decided by dentists depending on the age of the person and also if there are additional dental concerns like overbite or underbite.
Dentists also suggest using retainers after braces have been removed. Gentle pressure is applied to the teeth by braces. This when applied for a certain period of time will help in shifting the teeth slowly to its desired position. Wearing braces require follow up consultation with dentists. The braces are adjusted and tightened and this helps in moving the teeth. Proper care should be taken while wearing braces. Cleaning them is important as otherwise oral health will suffer.
Dental Bonding
In this protective measure, a resin is applied to the teeth that require treatment. This is a relatively quick treatment and usually does not need follow up visits. It is quite painless and it does not require anaesthesia. The resin will be bonded to the teeth using a special type of light and it gets adhered to the teeth.The colour of the resin can be chosen to match the natural colour of the teeth and it is not visible to others. Crooked teeth can be reshaped to the desired shape with little or no pain at all.
If the misalignment is extreme due to overbite or underbite then dental bonding may not able to set it right. This is suitable as a minor corrective procedure. Care must be taken to ensure the bonding does not break. Chewing on hard materials like ice, finger nails all can cause the bonding to break. Discolouration from food such as coffee and wine is also possible.
Veneers
Crooked teeth rob a person of his/her self-esteem and bring on other health issues as well. Dental veneers are a great method to set right misaligned teeth. Dental veneers help to give a straight and perfect look for crooked teeth.
For this procedure, dentists will take an impression of the teeth. A mould similar to the teeth is then prepared. This mould will be similar to the shape and size of the desired teeth. Veneers are then placed on the misaligned teeth and give it the preferred shape. This is also helpful for cases where there is minor misalignment in teeth. One to two dental consultations will be needed for this treatment. It helps to give a fuller, brighter and shiny teeth in place of crooked teeth.
Composite and Porcelain veneers are the common types used for this treatment. Composite veneers are made during the dental consultation and applied to the teeth, while Porcelain veneers are specially made and then later applied to the misaligned teeth.
Cosmetic dentistry and Orthodontic treatment both have different selections to set right crooked and misaligned teeth. While Orthodontics focuses on setting right the teeth and jaws for setting right misaligned teeth, Cosmetic dentistry by comparison focuses on minor teeth misalignments.
After a complete dental check-up, your dentist will draw up a dental treatment plan. Conditions of overbite, underbite, extreme crowding of teeth all point towards orthodontic treatment generally. Cosmetic dentistry focuses on the aesthetics of the teeth and makes sure that the appearance, position and shape of the teeth is made perfect. Compared with orthodontics, cosmetic dentistry is not that invasive type of treatment. They focus on other aspects of dental care. Both these types of treatments require specialised dentists.
It is important to correct crooked and misaligned teeth. The treatment should be adopted just not for appearance but equally for the health benefits they provide. Tooth decay, cavities, problems in speech and diminishing oral health and hygiene are noticed commonly in those with misaligned teeth.
Dental consultations should be done at least twice a year generally and also as and when required. In the case of children, proper care must be taken to make sure that there is proper development of teeth and jaws. Lack of attention can lead to self-esteem and other dental conditions in children.