When it comes to straightening your teeth, you have a lot of different options besides metal braces.
Despite your best efforts, whether it’s sports related, decay, missing teeth, genetics, or age your teeth can move out of alignment.
Thankfully, many of these misalignments can be treated by individually addressing them, or by using clear aligners like Invisalign.
Why Do Your Teeth Shift?
Your teeth can shift for a number of reasons ranging from repeated pressure, trauma or genetics. Through these processes the space in your mouth might expand or contract allowing for movement in your teeth and affecting your smile.
- Tooth Decay: If decay is not treated, it can spread to the gums and bone, eating away the bone that holds the teeth in place, and loosening them. Make sure to tread your cavities.
- Tooth Loss: A missing tooth allows the teeth around the open space to shift and expand over time.
- Grinding: The continued pressure caused by grinding can cause your upper arch to be pushed out of alignment.
- Trauma: Accidents caused from automotive and sports related accidents can cause your teeth to move out of alignment. Often a combination of missing teeth, and force trauma can greatly adjust the structure of your jaw and teeth.
- Untreated Gum Disease: Left untreated, gum disease can lead to bone loss and result in loose mobile teeth.
- Age: Teeth can drift leading to crowing especially in the lower anteriors.
- Genetics: Even if you were born with straight teeth, your family genetics can influence movement in your mouth which would cause shifting. If your immediate family has issues its quite likely that you will too.
By regularly visiting your dentist for routine oral examinations you can help to minimize the effects of some of the reasons associated with shifting your teeth.
Disadvantages with Metal Braces
Braces have come a long way in the last several years, but some oral conditions may not meet your expectations or lifestyle.
With regular braces, you may experience some or all of the following: mouth sores or injuries caused by the brace wires, tooth decay (from inadequate brushing and flossing), plaque buildup, tooth discoloration, tooth/bracket breakage, or difficulty eating.
A beautiful smile and straight teeth are the dream of everybody. Wearing braces isn’t the only way to achieve this. Here’s a few problems with using metal braces.
- Broken Brackets: Hard foods like nuts, candy, and ice cubes or foods that must be bitten into can result in the accidental breakage of wires and metal brackets.
- Tooth Decay: Teeth with braces require extra care, as the brackets and wires can trap food particles. The formation of plaque can become troublesome around the bracket and the glue that holds it to the tooth.
- Difficulty Flossing: Maneuvering around your metal brackets and wires with floss, makes for a laborious task that only the hardened flossers can overcome.
- Lifestyle Injuries: Individuals with an active lifestyle and braces must constantly be vigilant about their activities causing their braces to break or damage their mouth from accidental trauma or injury.
Straighten Your Teeth Without Braces
Do you want a straighter smile? Without the hassle of metal braces, or complicated procedures, Invisalign can passively straighten your teeth using a custom-made series of aligners created for you and only you.
Wearing the aligners will gradually and gently shift your teeth into place, based on the exact movements your dentist or orthodontist plans out for you.
Invisalign can treat:
- Gapped Teeth: Gaps between teeth can occur with abnormal continued growth of the jawbone.
- Overly Crowded Teeth: Left untreated, overly crowded teeth can get worse over time, and result in severely crooked teeth.
- Crossbites: This can occur when the upper and lower jaws are both misaligned.
Invisalign has an affordable teeth straightening option for you that does not require the discomfort of metal braces.
Conclusion
The best way to maintain your teeth without braces is with good oral hygiene and regularly visiting your dentist. During your oral examination your dentist can spot potential issues before they become problems.
You can prevent or treat some of the problems that can cause your teeth to misalign and look crooked.
But there are also some incredible teeth straightening procedures that work like braces but without the inconvenience of traditional metal braces.
To learn more about your unique dental needs, and your treatment options, please schedule a dental consultation with Dr. Jeffrey Skupny.