Teeth straightening treatments can help you to get the well-aligned smile you desire. Read on to learn more about teeth straightening options for adults and children. Nowadays, there are various ways to fix teeth alignment issues like crooked teeth, overbites, and crossbites.
Dentists typically recommend children receive their first bite evaluation by the time they reach the age of seven. Performing teeth straightening treatments early on in a child’s life makes the process a lot easier. The bones that make up the child’s jaw and other facial structures are still soft at this stage, making it easier to move teeth and manipulate the growth of these structures.
Poorly-aligned teeth increase the person’s risk of developing tooth decay and gum disease; misaligned teeth are more challenging to clean since they sometimes overlap each other. Bite issues can also damage the temporomandibular joints, and they can lead to speech development issues.
Some of the treatments a dentist might recommend to help improve the alignment of a patient’s teeth include:
Metal braces have been the standard way to address teeth alignment issues for several decades, and they remain one of the most effective ways to do so. Metal braces slowly push teeth into an improved alignment over time. Treatment times with braces can be anywhere between 12 to 36 months.
Metal brackets and wires make up the two main components of metal braces. A bracket is cemented on each of the patient’s teeth and the wires attach to the brackets on each dental arch. The tighter these wires are, the more force the braces apply to the patient’s teeth.
Braces are permanently fixed in place once attached by a dental professional, so the patient has to get used to eating and cleaning their teeth with these metal components in their mouth. They often have to avoid foods you need to bite into, like corn, since that often leads to food particles getting trapped underneath the brace wires.
One of the biggest complaints people have about metal braces is the poor aesthetics of having teeth covered with metal brackets and wires. Lingual braces are one of the oldest appliances used to straighten teeth.
Just as is the case with traditional metal braces, lingual braces are made up of metal brackets and wires. However, instead of cementing the brackets to the front of the patient’s teeth, the dentist attaches them to the back of the teeth. The wires also go on the back of the patient’s teeth, so they can display the front of their teeth as they smile. The main drawback of lingual braces is that they can be uncomfortable for the wearer as the tongue rubs up against the metal and can be irritated.
Ready to put your teeth alignment issues behind you? Contact our Carmel dental clinic to set up an appointment.
Request an appointment here: https://carmelsmilesdentist.com or call Smiles in the Village Dentistry at (317) 575-6101 for an appointment in our Carmel office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: What Can I Do to Improve My Smile in Carmel, IN.
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