3 Things You Need to Know About Orthodontics

13 January 2015 by Milton Hayes

Orthodontics refers to the dental process of improving teeth alignment, usually carried out by an orthodontist. An orthodontist straightens teeth that are facing outward or inward and bridges gaps between teeth that are sparsely spaced. Unlike cosmetic dentistry, orthodontics does not involve any alteration to the teeth but simply encourages streamlined natural growth. If you're contemplating visiting an orthodontist, here are some things you need to know about teeth alignment.

Improves dental health

When one's teeth alignment is unnatural, as is the case with crowded teeth, one's dental hygiene is usually also at stake. This is because the teeth are positioned in a complex formation that makes proper brushing or flossing quite difficult. This encourages storage of food particles, a hazard that can promote bad breath and tooth decay. Where teeth are spaced with gaps in between, chances of food particles being lodged in between is even higher.

An orthodontist can realign the teeth back to normal formation, and make it easy for you to clean all sides of your teeth without any undue stress. This will ensure you enjoy cleaner and stronger teeth for longer.

Improves the bite for stronger teeth

Your teeth are supposed to be aligned in a specific way for proper digestion and jaw positioning. When teeth are not positioned in this order, the upper and lower teeth may have a gap in between, or the jaws may not be interlocking as they should.

This phenomenon creates over-reliance on just a few teeth in the mouth, something that can lead to early tooth wear or create undue stress on your jaws. This is called incorrect bite and an orthodontist can identify the nature of the problem and formulate a way to correct it. Once that is done, all the teeth get involved in the chewing of food as they should. This improves digestion improves speech articulation as well.

There are numerous ways to re-align teeth

Most people only know of one way to align teeth in the mouth: braces. However there are several ways to realign teeth. The most commonly used are braces, aligners/retainers and special head gear. Braces are permanent and are available in plastic versions that are less noticeable. Aligners and head gears are removable and may be replaced after certain durations.

An orthodontist can recommend the best treatment after conducting a physical examination. He/she will then design a custom kit molded after your teeth formation for a perfect fit. Clinics such as About Face Orthodontics will also know of updates and new ways to help improve your alignment.

You therefore have several options to choose from and plenty of advantages to gain if you do decide to visit an orthodontist.

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