Every smile is unique, so there are a variety of different reasons why someone might be considering braces. In general, people end up getting orthodontic treatment because they are either unhappy with the appearance of their smile or because their teeth alignment is affecting the function or the health of their smile. These are some of the main signs that braces may be in your future:
- You start to notice unusual tooth wear because of the way that your upper and lower teeth are coming into contact with each other.
- You notice difficulties with chewing, biting, or speaking.
- You frequently bite the sides of your cheeks.
- You experience jaw aches or pain.
- You hear your jaw click or make other sounds.
- You find it hard to keep your teeth clean because plaque and bacteria are getting trapped between overlapped or crooked teeth.
- You are embarrassed to show your teeth when you smile, laugh, or talk.
So how do these problems actually come up? Here are two of the main reasons:
Crowding/Crookedness
Crowding is when there isn’t enough room in your mouth for all your teeth to fit together properly along your dental arch. Maybe you have an extra or abnormally shaped tooth, maybe your wisdom teeth are coming in incorrectly, or maybe you have an underdeveloped jaw. When teeth are crowded, they can start to overlap, tip inward or outward, and generally become crooked.
Misaligned Bite
There are a few types of misaligned bites. An overbite is when your upper arch of teeth significantly overlaps your lower arch of teeth. An underbite is essentially the opposite where the lower arch extends significantly outward compared to the upper arch. A crossbite is when one or more teeth are either inside or outside the matching tooth on the opposite arch (instead of resting on top of each other evenly). Then, there is an open bite, which is when you can’t bring your upper and lower teeth together so there is a gap even when your jaw is closed.
If you can identify with any of the signs we’ve mentioned or you’ve simply noticed that you have crowding or a misaligned bite, we’d be happy to chat with you further about your orthodontic treatment options. Contact Stroope Orthodontics to set up a consultation!
