Crooked teeth: Part V

Does it hurt having an orthodontics treatment?

Once the dental devices are placed in your mouth, you will feel certain discomfort during 2 to 3 days approximately, that can be either way eliminated by taking an analgesic. These discomforts will not appear until the devices are readjusted again.

Why is important undergoing a treatment of orthodontics?
Well-aligned teeth and an adequate bite –besides a good dental health care-allow us to avoid premature waste, the accumulation of bacterial plaque responsible of cavities, gum problems; and will allow us to have a great smile.

What are the other alternatives besides the traditional metallic braces (that are not so cool looking)?
Nowadays there are many esthetic dental alternatives for adult patients. Using ceramic braces or removable plates allow aligning teeth in a relatively short period of time.

Some time ago, esthetic braces were made of plastic and they got pigmented and waste over time, giving a bad appearance and delaying the treatment. But now, last generation ceramic braces completely eliminate all these disadvantages, which allow doing the treatment in an esthetic, fast and accurate way. The lingual braces (stuck onto the back of the tooth) are just used in certain cases since they can not correct the bite at 100% and provoke multiple annoyances to the tongue.

Is it possible to align teeth without using braces?
In some cases it is possible aligning teeth by using diverse removable devices instead of braces. This depends on the particular condition of your teeth, which will be so great for those whose job and activities are not benefited with the use of braces.

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101 on dental health: Part II

It is not necessary to brush your teeth alter each meal
It is important to do it in the morning and at might. It is damaging in the case you have taken acid drinks, since the brushing would eliminate the enamel weakened by the acid.

Do not ignore a slight tooth ache.
Do not overlook painful stinging or other signs, no matter how weak they are. The pain gradually gets worse.

Dental cavities are not always painful
Tooth aches are not always related to cavities. It can be due to an infection that does not show through the mouth in a visible way.

Sparkling water can dissolve the dental enamel
Avoid drinking sparkling water since the carbonic gas can gradually eliminate the enamel. To reduce cavities and improve dental hygiene use fluoride water.

Excessive and inadequate brushing can damage gums and molars
Teeth should be brushed for 2 minutes at most with circular movements. If you pass this time and moreover, you perform horizontal and/or vertical movements you will be damaging and wasting the dental surface of your teeth.

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101 on dental health: Part I

Mouth washes do not fight bacteria
Using mouth wash is important but they do not reach the areas where dental floss can reach. Bacteria are not totally eliminated with a mouth wash.

Dental bleachers do not change the teeth’s color
Dental bleaching products just limit to eliminate the stains on teeth, that is the teeth will recover their natural color. The person who has white teeth will get them whiter and the person who has them yellowish will get them less yellowish.

The use of dental floss prevents heart disease
American researchers have found out that people with gum problems are two times more prone to suffer from heart disease.

Dry mouth can damage your teeth
A mouth frequently dry is a sign of possible diabetes. Saliva is fundamental to drag rests of food and neutralize acids.

Saliva show if we have bad breath
Put a bit of saliva of the back of your tongue on the palm of your hand and let it dry and smell it.

Fake teeth have to be changed very 5 years
Oral tissues of the lower part of the teeth change over time, but the hard material do not get adapted.

Bleached teeth are not as strong as yellow teeth
As we grow old we are loosing blood stream and this makes teeth look yellowish, but not necessarily less healthy. On the contrary, people who use too much teeth bleaching products are gradually eliminating the protective enamel.

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Crooked teeth: Part IV

What is the difference between Orthodontics and Maxillary Orthopedics?

Orthodontics can be interceptive or corrective. The first one is generally realized with removable dental devices with hooks, screws and springs. When the misalignments are slight the treatment with these kinds of devices can be done by a specialist in Infantile Orthodontics or orthodontist, and in some simple cases, by the general dentist.

The corrective Orthodontics is realized with fixed devices, each of them have a precise indication and a determined age, while the Maxillary Orthopedics or Functional Orthopedics of the maxillaries is used when there is a bone deficiency. The devices used are more complex, most of them removable that’ stimulate the muscular/bone changes inhibiting or stimulating the maxillary growth. These types of devices require a lot of professional attention, since a misguided growth will produce a life-time malformation. The latter must be controlled by the specialist only.

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Crooked teeth: Part III

Is it really necessary to align teeth or is it just a matter of fashion?

Misaligned teeth can break easily and trap the particles of food that can produce dental cavities and gum diseases, resides diminishing the chewing quality, which can cause to us stomach problems, constipation, gases or malnutrition: A deficient digest can affect the general health of a person.

Besides, there can be produced disorders in Temporal-Mandibular Articulation (TMA) that allows the jaw movements, producing sounds initially soft that increase when opening the mouth, chewing and can even degenerate in articulation arthritis and in extreme cases impeding the mouth opening and the decreasing of the hearing capacity (deafness). Fortunately, a treatment realized on time can correct these defects.

Orthodontics is a branch of Odonthology that studies, diagnoses, prevents and corrects dental and bone malocclusion problems. As in all dental specialties, the Orthodontist has dedicated years of study on the anatomy of crane and face, growth and development of human beings from childhood until adulthood and techniques that will allow him/her to solve your problem by suing removable orthodontic devices, maxillary orthopedic devices, fixed devices or combinations of them, depending on the diagnose of your particular case.

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Crooked teeth: Part II

Types of malocclusion

Teeth misalignment or malocclusions are the abnormalities that affect the teeth only when they are crooked, twisted or separated; when the jaws or maxilla re affected these abnormalities are called bone malocclusions where there is a difference between the size and position of a maxilla respect to the other.

One person may have one or both types of malocclusion and depending on the severity of the case, the orthodontist will determine when to start an orthodontic treatment, what type of dental device(s) you will need and the time you will have to wear it.

Teeth may be in different positions when they get out the normal occlusion, thus they can press each other, be crossed or separated, or there may be an excess of teeth (supernumerary teeth) or the absence of them (genetic absence) or refrained (they have not came up yet).

In Orthodontics there are considered three types of malocclusions:

Class I: This is the most frequent type of malocclusion that is observed when the maxillas are aligned but the teeth do not fit well. Teeth could be too long or too short for the jaws, which can difficult the chewing, facilitate the appearance of cavities and gum disease (gum bleeding) and affects the personal look.

Class II: To this group belong most people who have crooked or mounted teeth or “protruded” which is the right term. This can happens when the upper jaw grows more than the normal and sticks out or when the jaw is deficient, that is, when it has not grown enough. In adult patients, jaw deficiency may require surgery.

Class III: This is the most uncommon case of malocclusion. The jaw sticks out more or protruded than the rest of the face, but this might be due to a grow deficiency of the upper jaw. In children, most cases can be treated with relative success, but some may require a treatment that combines Orthodontics with surgery.

Other common problems we can see in any malocclusion are:

Crossed bite: One or more teeth, whether the fronts ones or the molars are inverted respect its opposite.

Open bite: When the borders of the upper and lower frontal teeth can not make contact against each other, despite the molars do make contact. This is common in people (mostly toddlers and children) who suck their fingers or breather through the mouth.

Deep bite: The upper teeth cover too much the lower teeth, and in some cases it can make contact with gum of the palate when chewing, inhibiting the normal growth of the jaw in young patients that could cause other injuries.

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Crooked teeth: Part I

Why do I need dental devices?

There are many reasons why a person gets her teeth aligned, but the most important of all is dental health. If teeth are not well aligned and the jaws placed in their right position that enable a good chewing, there can be formed cavities and gum disease. In more severe cases, there can be articulation problems shown by sounds when opening and closing the mouth, and even deafness.

A more common reason why people fix their teeth is for aesthetics, to improve their smile.
What is a bad dental position or malocclusion?

Orthodontics specialists use the word malocclusion to describe a variety of problems relates to teeth and jaws. There is a malocclusion when by closing the mouth the teeth do not fit accurately.

Why do I have misaligned teeth?

It may be inherited. For instance, if your father has long teeth and your mother small jaws, you might have inherited small jaws and long teeth, pressing each other together for a lack of space.

There are some damaging habits such as sucking the fingers (babies and children), breathing through the mouth, chewing nails or the lips, pushing the tongue against the teeth, biting strange objects (pencils, pens, etc); that may also produce malocclusion. This happens because the constant pressure upon the teeth and the jaws can gradually produce deformities and deviations, since they are always in constant movement, especially at a young age.

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