06
Jun
Your oral health determines your mental and overall health. It also affects your smile and your confidence. Sadly, many people are unhappy with the appearance of their teeth. You will likely be disappointed if your teeth are misaligned, crooked, crowded, or overly spaced. Although some of these issues mainly affect your smile and confidence, they harm your oral and general health. Fortunately, dentists have a wide range of treatments for common problems that affect your smile, including braces.
Although braces are mainly recommended for children and adolescents, you can still have them in adulthood. However, they are expensive, and the installation process is time-consuming. That is why you must be sure you need braces before starting treatment. Here are some indications that you need braces:
Your Teeth Are Visibly Crooked or Misaligned
Crooked or misaligned teeth are a significant reason why many people wear braces. These are common issues that affect all people, including children and adults. Some people’s teeth become misaligned when young, while others become misaligned in adulthood. Causes of teeth misalignment vary from one person to another. If you suffer trauma to the face and your teeth are affected, they can shift from their position. If you lose a tooth to decay, gum disease, or an accident, and take a long time to replace it, your remaining teeth can shift from their position to occupy the gap left by the missing tooth. That causes a misalignment.
Some tooth misalignments are minor and do not affect a person’s smile or oral health. However, a significant misalignment can affect your confidence, bite, and oral health. The latter is a perfect reason to consider wearing braces. If your teeth are visibly crooked or misaligned and you shy away from socializing or smiling, it could be time to discuss your treatment options with your dentist. Your dentist will explain the installation process, the benefits and challenges to expect, and answer your questions to prepare you for the treatment.
Your Teeth Are Crowded
If you do not have enough room in the mouth for your developing teeth, they will be crowded. Naturally, teeth are spaced out. This gives them a beautiful appearance, allowing you to brush and floss effectively. Teeth crowding is a problem that affects many people, including children and adults. In addition to affecting your smile and confidence, crowded teeth are difficult to keep clean. Thus, they can cause cavities, gingivitis, and gum disease. This is because they are a perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria.
Braces are an effective solution to crowded teeth. They align your teeth and create spaces between them, giving you a beautiful smile. Thus, your dentist can recommend braces if you seek help with crowded teeth. But first, they will explain how braces work to rectify your problem, the benefits and disadvantages, and help you make an informed decision. Your dentist will also prepare you for installation and advise you on what to expect afterward.
Your Teeth Are Overly Spaced Out
Teeth crowding is a significant problem, making it difficult to clean your teeth properly. It is an essential cause of cavities and gum disease. However, this does not mean that spaced-out teeth are better. Your teeth should evenly and naturally spread out throughout the mouth. If some teeth have significant spaces between them, you will experience dental and oral issues. For example, they could take up the space needed to develop other teeth, resulting in impacted teeth. They could also cause crowding on other teeth. That is why you should seek immediate help for your overly spaced-out teeth.
Your overly spaced-out teeth will also affect your smile and confidence. But you can fix the problem with braces. Braces gradually align your teeth. However, you must wear them for the recommended period. For example, your dentist can require you to wear braces for two to three years, depending on the gravity of your dental problem. You will visit their office occasionally to tighten the braces and for general checkups.
You Experience Difficulties Keeping Your Teeth Clean
Dentists recommend good oral hygiene as the surest way to enjoy good oral health. These habits include brushing your teeth after every meal or at least twice a day and flossing to remove stuck food particles from your teeth. However, you could experience difficulties keeping your teeth and gums clean if your teeth are misaligned or crooked. While some dental issues, like crowding and misalignment, are visible, others are not. Thus, if you experience difficulties reaching all your teeth when brushing and flossing, it could be time to talk to a dentist.
If your difficulties are due to crowding or misalignment, your dentist can recommend braces to align your teeth and space them evenly. This will solve the issue and make keeping up with oral hygiene habits less challenging. If you are unsure that braces will resolve your dental issue, your dentist can refer you to an orthodontist for further examination and treatment recommendations. An orthodontist will explain what to expect after wearing braces for some time.
You Have a Bad Bite
When you bite down, your teeth must come together naturally. That constitutes a perfect bite. A bad bite is the cause of many dental and oral problems people experience today. In addition to affecting your smile and confidence, a bad bite can cause impacted teeth and TMJ disorders. If a bad bite occurs due to misaligned or crowded teeth, it can cause serious oral problems like cavities and gum disease. That is why dentists recommend immediate treatment for a bad bite.
Braces are one way to correct a bad bite. Your dentist will recommend wearing braces to correct an underlying problem affecting your bite. For example, braces can correct misshapen teeth, aligning your upper and lower teeth as they naturally should be. That will improve your smile and confidence and resolve your bite issue.
The good news is that you are never too old for braces. Although they are commonly recommended for children and adolescents, you can wear them if your dentist recommends them for your specific dental issue. You can wear the typical metal braces or clear aligners (recommended for patients who are shy about wearing visible braces).
You Have Difficulties Pronouncing Some Words
How you speak is vital for your social life. People who have difficulties speaking in public or pronouncing some words are likely to suffer from low self-esteem. Since humans are social beings, it helps to understand the cause of your pronunciation problem and resolve it before it affects your social life further.
Some challenges people face when pronouncing certain words are caused by a dental problem that a dentist can quickly fix with one or a few appointments. Thus, you can speak to your dentist to understand the cause of your problem and possible treatments. If your pronunciation problem is due to a dental problem, your dentist can recommend treatment options to resolve the problem and give you back your confidence to speak in public.
How your teeth align is a significant determining factor in how you speak or pronounce some words. If some of your teeth are misaligned, or your upper teeth stick out more than your lower teeth, it could be difficult to pronounce some words. Fortunately, dentists can fix an overbite with braces. Your dentist can also use braces to treat overcrowding if that is the cause of your problem.
A skilled dentist will begin by helping you understand the cause of your problem. Then, they will explain your treatment options, starting with the most effective. Although braces are costly, they effectively treat many dental issues that cause pronunciation difficulties.
Your Jaw Pops When You Chew or Yawn
Jaw popping is the noise or click your jaw makes when you open your mouth. Although it does not always happen, your jaw can pop when yawning, chewing, or right after waking up. There are many causes of jaw popping, including habitual clenching or teeth grinding and biting fingernails. These habits affect joints that connect your skull and jawbone. Jaw popping can also be a result of some medical conditions. It helps to speak to an experienced dentist about your problem to understand its cause and possible treatments.
Malocclusion is a prevalent cause of jaw popping. It affects how your teeth align in the mouth. If you have an overbite, crossbite, open bite, or underbite, you will experience difficulties chewing, biting, or simply closing your mouth. Crowded teeth will also cause your jaw joints to strain, affecting your TMJs.
If malocclusion is the cause of your jaw popping, your dentist can recommend wearing braces as part of your treatment. If you have already developed a TMJ disorder, your dentist will treat the disorder first before installing braces. The braces will prevent the problem from reoccurring in the future.
Your Jawline is Fatigued or Stressed After Chewing
Naturally, biting and chewing should be stress-free. Your teeth should bite down effortlessly without exerting pressure on your jawline. If you experience pressure after eating or are constantly tired, it means a problem with your teeth or jawbone. A skilled dentist should be able to identify the exact problem causing you stress and fatigue. It could explain the stress and fatigue if you have a bad bite and are experiencing difficulties biting or chewing food. Your dentist will recommend the exact type of bad bite you have and treatment for it.
Braces provide several benefits, which your dentist will recommend to help you make an informed decision. For example, they solve chewing problems to prevent indigestion issues. They will also give you back the ability to enjoy all your favorite foods, even those that require more chewing. Your dentist will discuss the various braces types available today and narrow down to the most recommended for your needs. Once the braces align your teeth, you will experience less fatigue and stress when chewing.
You Want to Improve Your Smile
Some people have beautiful, bright, and straight teeth. If you have seen one and want your teeth to look better, you can achieve that with braces. Remember that your smile is vital to your social life. People are mainly attracted to you by your looks and your smile. You will likely enjoy socializing when you are sure your teeth are perfect. While it is impossible to have perfect teeth, you can improve how yours appear with the help of a skilled dentist.
You do not need a dental problem to visit your dentist’s office. If you have dental or oral-related concerns, you can share them with your dentist during regular dental examinations and checkups. Your dentist can recommend wearing braces if you want to improve your smile. Also, recall that you do not need a significant dental issue to wear braces. You can also treat dental problems that are unnoticeable or slightly noticeable.
For a minor dental problem, your dentist can recommend Invisalign instead of metal braces. They are discreet and removable. However, you must wear them consistently for the recommended period to achieve the desired results.
Determining Whether Your Child Needs Braces
Most of the dental problems adults experience are treatable at an early age. For example, you can correct dental crowding, bad bites, or misalignment when young. Dentists always urge parents to ensure their children receive adequate dental care to prevent dental and oral problems and treat others at their onset. Then, a child can enjoy excellent oral health in adulthood. Fortunately, it is easy to tell whether or not your child will need braces at some point in their life. Here are some of the indications:
Their Teeth Are Crooked or Crowded
If your child’s teeth are crowded or crooked, there is no need to wait until adolescence to seek a dentist’s recommendation. Most orthodontic treatments, including braces, work very well in children. Children are likely to respond better to braces than when they are older because their jawbones and other underlying structures are still developing. Thus, they seek treatment when they are still young. Then, they can enjoy a beautiful smile and a good bite from an early age. Also, it helps prevent some of the issues associated with tooth crowding, like cavities and gum disease.
Their Mouth Does Not Shut Completely
If your child’s mouth does not close well or their teeth do not come together nicely when they bite down, they could require braces. Bite issues affect adults and children. Your child can experience a bad bite problem when they are still very young. You are better off correcting it at that stage before it escalates and causes more problems. For example, an untreated bite problem can cause a TMJ disorder.
Visit your dentist with your concerns for an examination and a proper diagnosis. If your child’s bite issue can be corrected with braces, your dentist will refer you to an orthodontist specializing in children. They will explain the treatment process and walk the journey with you until you are satisfied with the results.
They Breath Through The Mouth
Naturally, your child should breathe through the nose. But if there are obstructions, your child can start breathing through the mouth. Sometimes, teeth misalignment and shallow dental arches could be why your child breathes through the mouth instead of the nose. You should visit a dentist with your concerns for checkups, a proper diagnosis, and treatment recommendations. If your child’s teeth lack room, an orthodontist can use braces to expand their dental arch. Braces can also treat misalignment so your child can freely breathe through the nose.
Remember that breathing difficulties can affect children's overall health.
Their Dental Hygiene is Poor
There are many indications of poor dental hygiene in children, including bad breath and teeth discoloration. If you notice some of these indications, your child could be experiencing problems when brushing their teeth. Ignoring it can result in gum disease, cavities, and other severe dental or oral issues. Your dentist should be able to tell exactly why your child cannot maintain good oral hygiene. It could be because their teeth are crowded or misaligned. If so, braces can help align their teeth, making it easy to reach even the difficult areas when brushing. They can also floss with minimal difficulty, removing all food particles from the mouth.
Find a Competent Dentist Near Me
Braces are excellent tools to correct common dental issues that affect many people. They can correct tooth misalignment, crowding, and bad bites. Thus, they can help prevent serious oral problems like cavities, gum disease, halitosis, and oral cancer. However, telling when you or your loved one needs braces can be challenging.
A skilled dentist can examine your teeth and gums to determine whether you need braces and if you are a suitable candidate. We will also discuss your options at The Whittier Dentist to help you make an informed decision. Our skilled dentists are willing to walk you through the treatment procedure to ensure you are physically and mentally prepared before installing braces. Call us at 562-632-1223 to learn more about braces and our services.
