Orthodontics

Crowded Teeth

And there may be a whole lot more seriously affecting you dental health:

Upper Protrusion

Impacted Teeth

Midline Shift

Open Bite

Overbite

Spacing

Crossbite

More than one-half of all American children and adults suffer from one or more of these problems and could benefit from orthodontic treatment. these are some of the lifelong benefits you may receive if your teeth are properly arranged:

Your teeth can be cleaned easier which protects their health through less cavities and gum disease. this prevents early loss of teeth.

Wear of the teeth, particularly the biting surfaces, would be minimized.

Discomfort in biting may be reduced or completely eliminated.

Speech may be improved

Air ways which may directly affect breathing may open up if full development of the lower face is encouraged

The digestion process is improved by better chewing of food.

Improved appearance. Health care experts increasingly recognize the importance ro restore facial balance and improve one's self-respect and self-confidence. If you are pleased with and relaxed about your appearance, you will likely be more at ease in public.

MALOCCLUSIONS

1. Upper Protrusion- "Buck" Teeth

Upper front teeth are forward of the lower teeth. This problem may be caused by long term thumbsucking or tongue thrusting habits. The front teeth are very prone to accident and, if fractured, become severely weakened. Forces when biting the teeth together are placed excessively on the back teeth without distribution to the front teeth.  Spaces develop between the upper front teeth.  There is usually difficulty in closing the lips over the teeth with a tendency for mouth breathing and possible chronic bronchial infections.  The gum around front teeth, when constantly exposed to the air,may become red and swollen.

2. Impacted Teeth - Eruption into mouth of permanent tooth is definitely impaired. This is seen in xrays. These impacted teeth should generally be brought into the mouth and placed into proper occlusion with orthodontic appliances.

3. Midline Shift - The contact between the right and left upper and lower front teeth do not line up when the teeth are bitting together. This indicates an asymmetrical jaw relationship, posterior crossbite, or shifted teeth to one side of the mouth. This causes muscle imbalance and increased muscle tension which cause jaw joint clicking and pain.

4. Open bite - Spaces are seen between the biting surfaces of some the upper and lower teeth, either in front or back, when the other teeth are biting together. This places too much shewing force on the teeth that are touching(chewing forces should act on all the teeth as a unit). A patient may not be able to effectively bite food and may tend to swallow larger the normal mouthfuls that are difficult to digest. The teeth and gums are not exercised properly and become unhealthy.

5. Overbite - Upper front teeth lap over lower front teeth too much.  Lower front teeth often bite into the gums of the roof of the mouth causing gum irritations. Food is impacted into the crevices between the gums and teeth. This promotes gum disease and bone loss around the upper and lower front teeth.

6. Spacing - Spaces between the sides of the teeth that should not be there are due to congenitally missing teeth, lost teeth, overbites, or teeth that are too small for the size of the jaws. Spaces allow food to be trapped between the teeth which contributes to the cause of gum and bone problems.

7. Crossbite - Upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth. Forces in chewing are misdirected to the teeth and is often a major contributing cause of bone loss around affected teeth.  Crossbite may "lock" the lower jaw into an improper bite position causing jaw joint clicking, pain, or other abnormal symptoms. This condition may give a person an appearance of a "bull dog" jaw and a facial expression of frowning.

8. Crowded teeth - Not enough room seems to be available for the teeth to be evenly positioned along the jaw bone. Teeth seem to be too big for the jaws. Teeth are usually difficult to clean and pockets often develop trapping food and dental plaque which causes gum disease and eventual bone loss around teeth. Also, teeth are unsightly and is often the main reason people want to have their teeth "straightened".