Teeth Malocclusion
The term malocclusion literally means bad bite. It occurs when teeth do not properly fit together. It can be caused by many different things. The most common cause is genetic. Some people are born with naturally straight teeth because of genetic factors passed down from their parents. Others, however, inherit crooked teeth because the sizes of the teeth are too large for the available room in the jaw, and they grow in crooked.
Teeth malocclusion can also be caused by other factors. An accident can knock teeth out of alignment. A gum disease that misshapes the gumline can also cause teeth to loosen and grow back in crooked. If a tooth gets knocked out, the surrounding teeth will start to shift into the open space. Children who suck on thumbs or pencils can put pressure on their teeth and cause them to shift.
In addition to their being many causes of teeth malocclusion, there are also many types of the condition. If an upper or lower jaw extends too far out, there may not be enough space for the teeth to grow in without crowding one another and becoming crooked. Or, there simply may just not be enough space in the mouth for teeth to develop properly, which in turn will cause them to crowd. The flipside of this problem is having too much space between teeth. This creates a situation similar to a missing tooth, where teeth start to shift in position and grow toward the gap or empty space. In some cases the problem is even more severe. The lower jaw extends farther out than the upper jaw, and some of the upper teeth actually bit inside the lower teeth.
If teeth malocclusion is not dealt with professionally, it can affect the eating habits of a person and the appearance of a person when they smile. Over time, problems with tooth alignment can lead to tooth decay and jaw-joint problems. Headaches have been known to result due to the difficulty these patients have opening and closing their mouths. Embarrassing clicking and popping sounds also can result, and jaw muscles can become sore and painful.
Orthodontics is the branch of dental science that is dedicated to correcting teeth malocclusion. For many years, the only orthodontic treatments available involved metal braces and wires that took an average of two years to correct alignment problems, were embarrassing to smile with, and often caused a great deal of discomfort when they were adjusted. Dental hygiene was also a challenge due to the bulky size of brackets.
Today, however, new clear braces and removable aligners have made it possible to correct teeth malocclusion in shorter periods of time without pain, and without anyone noticing that the patient is undergoing corrective treatment. The superior materials that orthodontic tools are now made from, plus their smaller sizes, make these new braces and mouthpieces practically invisible to the eyes of other people.
Some of these invisible braces are designed to get the job done in only 6 months. Others take almost as long as standard braces, but allow for much greater comfort, discretion, and dental hygiene.
Labels: clean teeth, cosmetic orthodontics, invisalign aligners, invisible braces, teeth malocclusion
posted by Dental Expert at
8:50 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home