Solutions to Correct Crooked Teeth

When you’re an adult, it can get easy – too easy – to assume that problems with crooked, misaligned or gapped teeth are a thing of the past. Sure, you might have had teeth coming in awkwardly when you were younger, but braces took care of that issue, right?

The truth is, even those of us who spent a lot of time wearing braces as kids might have problems with the spacing or positioning of our teeth later in life. They usually start out as minor aesthetic issues, and sometimes they stay minor – but sometimes they cause more and more trouble over time. Fortunately, for problems with crooked teeth, there is a variety of potential solutions, whether they be Invisalign or braces, or another treatment altogether.

How Do Teeth Get Crooked?

Some problems with teeth have their roots in childhood – crowded baby teeth, poor nutrition, trauma to the mouth – though these are often addressed with braces during the teen and young adult years. Other issues may not have immediately obvious origins, but gradually creep in over time. Think misaligned jaws, inadequate dental care or bad myofunctional habits such as mouth breathing. Whatever the cause, crooked teeth have potential to lead to larger issues. For example:

• Difficulty chewing
• Pain when chewing
• Gum disease
• Excess wear on teeth
• Speech problems
• Digestive issues
• Lower self-confidence

Visible or Semi-Visible Braces

Braces remain the most commonly known means of fixing crooked teeth. Though there are alternatives that may appeal more to adults, visible braces are still sometimes recommended for serious problems with tooth placement and orientation. And even if your teeth problems necessitate visible braces, your experience with them will be different from the experience you had as a teenager, thanks to advances in design and technology. The varieties of visible braces include:

• Metal braces: These are the ones you probably had as a kid, and no surprise there, as they’re the best option for young people who are still growing. When they’re recommended for adults, it’s because they grip teeth more strongly, allowing correction of serious problems with crooked teeth. They’re also far more comfortable than the monstrosities you remember from your youth.
• Ceramic braces: These provide many of the same benefits as metal braces for significant problems. Because they’re clear or tooth-colored, they’re less visible than their metal cousins, but they’re usually more expensive. And because they’re made of a less sturdy material, they break more easily and require greater care.
• Lingual braces: This particular variety of braces is only semi-visible because it goes on the back of the teeth. Because they’re not visible to the average person, and because they’re custom-made for each tooth, lingual braces may be more appealing to some. On top of that, they can be made with bite blocks to fix faulty bites. On the other hand, they’re expensive, hard to clean and time-consuming; they may irritate the tongue; and they often cause a lisp or other speech problems until the patient gets used to them.

Retainers

Anybody who had braces as a kid undoubtedly remembers the retainer they had to wear – and, in some unfortunate cases, fish out of the garbage after absent-mindedly throwing it out with their school lunch – following removal of their braces. For adults, a retainer may be able to correct minor problems, such as small gaps or a single crooked tooth. It’s a slow-moving solution, but less intrusive than braces. Because the retainer can scratch the surface of teeth, you’ll need to practice good dental health to prevent damage, and clean it on a daily basis.

Oral Surgery

Some severe issues with tooth orientation may benefit from surgery to reposition the bones and gums. Though surgery may be a necessity, it is almost never going to be the only step in the process – usually, the patient still has to wear braces afterward, just not for as long as they would have otherwise. The patient may need to wear braces for some time beforehand as well.

Veneers

Porcelain veneers can’t change the positioning of teeth, so they’re not a solution for chewing, speech or other health problems caused by crooked teeth. But they can change the visual appearance of crooked teeth, making them look straight. Veneers are bonded to the front of the tooth, then smoothed to resemble natural teeth. This makes them a possible fix for chips, gaps, stains and other imperfections as well. The drawback is that they cannot be repaired, and are not recommended for patients that grind their teeth.

Invisible Braces

One of the most convenient options to correct crooked teeth in adults – and one that continues to grow in popularity – is invisible braces, of which the best-known option is Invisalign. Invisalign consists of a series of clear aligners custom-made for your mouth, which gradually move teeth back into place. Because the aligners are clear, they’re not visible unless someone looks closely, and because they’re molded to fit comfortably over the teeth, they don’t need to stay in all the time. That means you can remove them to eat, drink and brush your teeth, rather than work around a set of braces. Every two weeks, you’ll replace your current set of aligners until your problem is solved.

Despite its many advantages, Invisalign isn’t a snap-your-fingers solution. It’s not well suited for major problems, and there’s sometimes pain and discomfort for a short stretch after a new aligner is put in. The main consideration for patients, though, is the diligence Invisalign requires. Each aligner needs to be in for 20-22 hours per day, and in order to avoid staining, the patient must brush and floss much more frequently than usual – generally after each meal – in order to minimize the time it takes to correct their crooked teeth.

Invisalign Treatment at Springfield Dental Group

Here at Springfield Dental Group, we understand well the appeal of Invisalign for the many conveniences that it offers while braces and other solutions do not. We design your customer aligner trays, provide your set of custom-molded aligners and schedule follow-up appointments for every six weeks during the course of your treatment to monitor progress. If you want to make changes to the appearance of crooked or misaligned teeth, give us a call today to set up an appointment.