How Orthodontic Treatment Can Improve your Smile

For most people, the idea of a beautiful smile is summed up in two words: “white teeth!” And yes, white teeth play a huge role, but there is a whole lot more when it comes to teeth than color. A visit to Koren Family Dental, your local dentist in Raritan, can confirm this fact. You see, a beautiful smile has to do with how your teeth are aligned (occlusion), which highly determines the ease with which you are going to clean them. In case you have an improper bite, you will hear your orthodontist say that there is the malocclusion of teeth, and you will definitely hear suggestions of how that can be resolved.

The first thing that you need to ask yourself is, “do I need to undergo orthodontic treatment?” The answer is not as easy as looking at your teeth in the mirror.

An orthodontist is better placed to diagnose this, simply because there will be special x-rays and a clinical exam to determine whether you need treatment or not. But at face value these are some of the things that you should look out for:

• Underbite (bulldog appearance) – the scenario where the upper teeth are far back as compared to the upper teeth.
• Overbite (buck teeth) – in this case, you will notice that the upper front teeth will stick out.
• Open bite – this occurs when there is space between the biting surfaces of your lower and upper teeth when you close your mouth or clench your teeth.
• Crossbite – here the upper teeth tend to sit inside the lower teeth when the teeth are clenched.
• Spacing – just as the word suggests, there will be gaps in between the teeth caused by teeth that aren’t properly filling the mouth or missing teeth.
• Misplaced midline – this happens when the center of your lower teeth is not lining up with the center of your upper teeth.
• Crowding – this describes the scenario where your dental ridge has more teeth than what it can handle.

On numerous occasions, having misaligned teeth will be credited to your parents. Yes, in most cases, it is hereditary. But there are habits or circumstances that can cause your jaw or teeth to change their shape. Have a look at the following and see:

• If you have a cleft lip
• If, as a baby, you continued to use a pacifier even after you turned three years old
• Prolonged thumb sucking
• Tumors in the jaw
• Accidents and injuries that have affected the jaw structure.

One of the most interesting facts is that most people do not have perfect teeth alignment. The good news is that some problems are minor that one can ignore. Even if you do not have a visibly improper bite, you need to know what awaits you when you decide to undergo orthodontic treatment. The treatment will be tailor-made for you since the treatment depends on the problem. So, after the assessment by your local dentist in Raritan, you will be given a treatment plan, which will include and not limited to:

• Braces and other orthodontic appliances: These could be metal bands, brackets, or wires that are strategically placed around the teeth with the sole purpose of slowly moving the teeth to the desired direction. Aligners, which are clear braces, can also be used in adults, but they do not have the wires.
• Mending irregular or rough teeth: Your teeth can be reshaped, adjusted down, or capped.
• Teeth removal: Some cases, mainly where overcrowding has occurred, the best cause of action is to remove the tooth or teeth.
• Surgery: Only in rare and severe cases will surgery be a necessary course of action. This is where the jaw will be shortened or lengthened, depending on the problem.

Most of the time, you will visit an orthodontist because you need the malocclusion of teeth to be fixed. By now, you must have seen that a beautiful smile isn’t just about whiter teeth, but also how the teeth are aligned. You have to know that the primary purpose of orthodontic treatment is occlusion (correct teeth alignment). In the end, it will give you an easier time when cleaning your teeth, which leads to whiter teeth and reduces the chances of you straining your jaws, teeth, and muscles, and yes, you will have a beautiful smile.