teeth

Orthodontists recommend the preparation for teeth straightening to start at about 7 years old. The actual correction of crooked teeth happens anytime from 8 to 14 years usually by wearing braces.  Given the fact that not all children who have problems with crooked teeth will be able to avail of this option during this recommended time, the question of whether or not adults still have remaining options for teeth straightening arises.

Why Correct Crooked Teeth

Crooked teeth or misaligned teeth is refereed to as malocclusion of teeth.  This is when the teeth of the two dental arches do not meet correctly and thus either result to an overbite or under-bite.  Malocclusion is fairly common among humans although the severity can greatly vary from a very minor misalignment which does not need treatment to extreme misalignment which requires surgery to correct.

Very few people have perfect alignment of teeth so minor cases do not necessitate any treatment.  However, there are malocclusion cases that need to be addressed properly to reduce tooth decay risk and prevent excessive pressure on the temporo-mandibular joint or the jaw joint.  Although most teeth alignment treatments are sought for dental cosmetic reasons, correction of the problem can also simultaneously resolve issues of pain and mastication or speech problems, and face distortion.

Causes of Crooked Teeth

There are various theories being offered for the occurrence of malocclusion of the teeth.  One says that the consumption of processed food or soft food during childhood encourages underdevelopment of the jaw which results to a small jawline and overcrowding of teeth.  This theory is strongly contradicted however by the fact that a narrow jaw and palate can exist at birth if genetics define it as such.

Aside from genetics that dictate the size of the jaw, crooked teeth may be caused by too early loss of baby or adult teeth, improper dental fillings or crowns, gum disease, jaw or mouth tumor, or facial injury resulting to misaligned jaw.  Activities and actions that can influence the development of the face and dental arches such as thumb sucking, pacifier sucking, nail biting, pencil biting, and  mouth breathing may also result to crooked teeth.  Prolonged use of the bottle in children is also considered as a possible reason for misalignment of teeth.

Adult Teeth Straightening

Children with crooked teeth usually go through the same process of wearing braces and other dental appliance for a specific period of time.  Those who have started in just the right time can expect to have finished their treatment before full adulthood.  Adults who had to pass on the chance for teeth straightening during their childhood still have several options left.

The use of metal braces is still the most common.  However, some adults may not welcome the thought of wearing obvious wires on their teeth and may still desire for more acceptable choices.  A more subtle option is provided by ceramic braces with translucent brackets and latex ligatures.  Since the material is not exactly clear, ceramic braces remain obvious to the view of people.

Self-ligating braces make use of clips to hold on to the wire thus eliminating the ligatures but it still is not an entirely invisible brace option.  The lingual braces consist of brackets and metal wires which are sought to be hidden by being fitted in to the flipside of the patient’s bite.  Its use may result to tongue discomfort and slur in speech.  The latest option made available to adults is Invisalign which consists of clear, molded plastic teeth trays which are removed when eating.  Many adults prefer this option because this is the closest to invisible and allows wearers to clean their teeth in the usual way since the teeth aligners can be removed.  The extreme option is through orthognathic surgery which is a procedure intended to correct malocclusion problem related to skeletal issues.

My Say

There is a saying that we need not fix what is not broken in the first place so perfect alignment of teeth is not much very much sought after unless a person probably makes a living out of such perfection.  Misalignment of teeth needs to be corrected if there are considerable cosmetic issues that are severely affecting a person’s self esteem or health issues that are affecting the quality of living of a person.  Adults can be assured that it is not too late to seek teeth straightening procedures because of the many options available in the market.