Braces are vital if you need to straighten your teeth to improve their look and prevent dental problems like bad bites. They can be expensive and the process inconvenient and time-consuming. But they have a high success rate and could leave you with several other oral health benefits in addition to a perfect smile. Braces are mainly prescribed for children and adolescents, though even adults wear braces nowadays. If you believe that you or your loved one could benefit from braces, it is crucial to know that soon enough. This article will look at several instances that could compel you to choose braces. For more information and help with braces installation, speak to an experienced dentist.
Why Braces are Important
Your oral health is critical as it keeps you smiling and impacts your general wellbeing. A problem in your mouth could affect several functions, including eating, speaking, or simply enjoying life. It could also affect your general health and self-esteem.
Braces are some dental tools dentists use to correct dental issues like crooked and crowded teeth. When your teeth are out of alignment, they could affect the way you clean your mouth, how you speak, and your bite. The majority of people who benefited from dental braces installed them when they were teenagers. But, anyone can have them, including adults.
Braces start straightening your teeth as soon as you wear them. The process could take several months, depending on the severity of the issue. Eventually, your teeth will be in perfect alignment, and you can have a normal bite. Some people wear braces to change their smile and boost their esteem.
If your teeth seem crooked or your bite is misaligned (overbite or underbite), dentists today have a wide range of treatments to remedy your situation. Dental braces have been popular for a long time and are still the choice of many. They work by slowly moving your teeth in their rightful positions to prevent overcrowding and misalignment.
Before installing dental braces, your dentist will examine you to determine your oral health and general wellbeing. He/she will ask you questions regarding your previous dental problems and treatment. Sometimes a dentist could ask for a digital scan of your teeth, conduct a detailed exam on your face and mouth, and even request an X-ray of your mouth. Thorough exams provide your dentist with information to develop the right treatment plan.
Dental braces come in different forms and types. Dentists recommend a particular type depending on the underlying problem. A set of braces will consist of wires, bands, and other removable or fixed corrective appliances. Not a single model is suitable for everyone’s needs. Some of the available options today are:
Traditional Metal Braces:
Traditional dental braces are usually made from metal. They comprise metal brackets that attach to the front of your teeth or bands that go around each tooth. They also come with flexible wires that hold the bands or brackets together.
Ceramic Braces
They work the same as traditional braces but are made from ceramic and in the same color as your teeth. They are preferred by patients who want to wear braces discreetly. They could be in gold, stainless steel, or clear color.
Lingual Braces
They are more discreet because they are installed at the back of the mouth, facing the tongue.
Clear Aligners
These are invisible braces made from a clear plastic material. They comprise trays that dentists fit snugly around each tooth. The aligners apply pressure on the teeth to gently move them into the correct positions. They are very effective in straightening teeth and restoring your smile.
How You Know When You Need Brace
It is necessary to pay attention to your oral health as much as you do about your general health. Speak to your dentist as soon as you notice a problem in your mouth, whether bad breath or misaligned teeth. That would enable your dentist to treat the issue before it escalates and becomes more expensive to treat. Sadly, many people wait until it is already late to seek help with their dental problems. Knowing when you need braces will help you fix the underlying problem in time to prevent other significant issues resulting from dental misalignment or crowding. Here are some of the signs that you need braces:
If Your Teeth are Visibly Crooked
Crooked teeth are a common issue for many people. Most adults and children have misaligned teeth. It is an issue that lowers a person’s confidence to socialize or simply smile. Some people feel that their misaligned teeth are unique and add to their personality. But it is a grave issue for the others. Most people with visibly crooked teeth will shy away from social life because they are afraid of what other people will think of them. If you feel that your misaligned teeth are affecting your life in any way, it could be time to have braces.
People with highly misaligned teeth have health and speech issues that require immediate treatment. It is challenging to keep crooked teeth clean. Some crooked teeth overlap with others, making it hard for you to clean between your teeth. If food particles remain stuck between your teeth for several days, they could result in a buildup that causes severe diseases like periodontitis. You could also have dental cavities. Braces will help straighten out your crooked teeth to make it easier to keep them clean. That will fix your current problems and help you prevent other issues that could have resulted if they had remained misaligned.
If Your Teeth are Crowded
Dental crowding happens if your teeth seem more than your mouth can handle. Sometimes a person’s teeth can compete for the small space available in the mouth. When that happens, some teeth will overlap, while others will bend a little to fit in the tiny space available. An ideal situation in the human mouth is when there is enough space for all teeth to grow without leaving gaps or competing for space. Thus, it is a problem if you seem to have more teeth or less space in your mouth for all your teeth.
Dental crowding is caused by several factors, including genetics (if your jaw is genetically small), extra adult teeth, abnormal growth of teeth, or a premature loss of baby teeth. Whatever the cause, it helps to know that you can find help with your crowded teeth. Dentists recommend braces to straighten teeth and fix dental crowding. After the treatment, you will smile with confidence and not deal with dental problems like bad breath, aching jaws or teeth, dental cavities, and periodontitis.
If You Have Problem Brushing Around or Flossing Your Teeth
Brushing and flossing teeth daily are recommended habits to keep your teeth, gums, and mouth clean. When cleaning your teeth, you should reach even the most challenging parts to remove any stuck food particles that could promote bacterial growth inside your mouth. If you have trouble cleaning around your teeth or flossing between some of your teeth, you should consider having braces.
Braces will straighten your teeth and restore them into their rightful positions in the mouth for easy cleaning. Well-aligned teeth are easy to clean around. Braces also straighten teeth to make dental flossing possible. Without braces, you will have bad breath, dental decay, and eventually develop gum disease and periodontitis.
Thus, it is advisable to seek help immediately if you notice a problem when cleaning some of your teeth. Your dentist will examine your mouth to recommend the best mode of treatment that will leave you with well-aligned teeth.
If you Frequently Bite Your Tongue
Irregular or misaligned teeth will frequently interfere with your tongue, causing you to bite it involuntarily or cut it with your tongue. If that makes you highly uncomfortable, it could be time to consider having braces. Braces will keep your teeth in shape. If your dentist notices that some of your teeth are misshapen, he/she could recommend tooth reshaping to give you that perfect smile you have always desired.
If You Cannot Bite Down Effectively
Many people do not take issue with bad bites, even when they are among the leading causes of serious dental problems in adults. You could have a bad bite if you cannot bite down effectively. Healthy and well-aligned teeth must match perfectly when your upper and lower jaw meet. If not, you could have a crossbite, open bite, overbite, or underbite that could trigger other dental issues sooner than later.
An underbite occurs when your lower jaw sits in front of your upper jaw when you bite down. If not corrected, it could cause your teeth to wear out and stress your jaw joints.
A crossbite occurs when your upper teeth sit inside the lower teeth when you bite down. If left untreated, it could cause your jaw to shift to one side and wear out the outer solid part of your teeth.
An open bite occurs when the back teeth match very well, but the front teeth overlap when you bite down. It could cause swallowing and speech issues if left untreated.
Bite problems mainly result from dental crowding or misalignment. Braces push your teeth back to the correct position to give you a perfect bite and fix or prevent possible dental problems.
If You Have Difficulty Pronouncing Words
Common speech problems are due to dental issues that sometimes we ignore. A problem with your teeth could affect the way you pronounce certain words. When that happens, it will even affect your social life since you cannot confidently mingle with people for fear of ridicule.
Braces are known to straighten teeth and fix bad bites. But, they can also resolve specific speech issues caused by malocclusions and jaw misalignments. Some words are made by the way the tongue hits the teeth. If your teeth are misaligned, your pronunciation will likely be distorted. Misaligned teeth or jaws are associated with speech issues that affect many people. Orthodontic treatments like installing braces could restore your teeth into their proper form, allowing your speech to come out correctly.
Some dental issues that affect speech, which braces can fix, include open bite, crossbite, excessive spacing of teeth, overcrowded teeth, underbite, and overbite.
If you have difficulty pronouncing some words and suspect that it could be any of those issues mentioned above, it is time to speak to your dentist. For instance, if you have a lisp, it could be because you have an open bite. Braces will fix your bite and improve how you pronounce those words.
If Your Jaws Click or Make Noise When You Chew or Wake Up
Your mouth should function without producing any noise or clicking, even when you chew, yawn or simply open your mouth. If you notice these sounds, it is a sign of a problem that requires immediate intervention.
Jaw popping is a common but not normal dental issue. It can be painful. It occurs when your TMJs are not functioning as they should. TMJs are the joints that connect your jawbone to the skull. You have one of these joints on each side of your mouth. The hinge action of your TMJ gives you the ability to talk, chew, yawn, and open your mouth for other purposes. When the joint becomes dysfunctional, you will experience a popping sound whenever you move your jaws.
Malocclusion or bad bites are a common cause of jaw popping. Malocclusion occurs due to dental misalignment. If you are worried about the popping sound or your jaw joints are painful, it is time to consider having braces.
Find an Northridge Dentist Near Me
Braces are excellent for crooked or misaligned teeth. They help fix many dental issues like bad breath, bad bites, and gum disease. Braces also straighten your smile to restore your lost confidence. However, you must determine the right time to have braces. The help and guidance of an experienced dentist go a long way in ensuring you make the right decision. For more information and help with the installation of braces in Northridge, CA, call us at 818-701-3010. Our competent dentists at Northridge Advanced Dentistry will conduct a detailed examination of your mouth to determine your problem for a more informed treatment plan.
