While many people want their teeth adjusted for purely cosmetic reasons, the truth is, tooth movement has oral health benefits as well.
Let’s discuss three such examples.
“I Can’t Believe I Finished in Five Weeks!”
The patient that I saw today used those very words. The treatment that excited her so much was orthodontic treatment.
She chose adult InvisalignTM treatment to solve a cosmetic problem. She, like many people, have concerns about the appearance of their smile.
There are many ways to fix a smile problem. I have discussed several ways to correct various issues in this column. One way is to move teeth with clear aligners.
The first, and in my opinion, the best system on the market is the InvisalignTM system.
Tooth Movement Can Be More Than a Cosmetic Fix
However, more often than not, I move teeth to fix a health problem or prepare for other types of dentistry.
Tooth movement can be more than a cosmetic fix.
Put into other terms, moving teeth that are out of a proper position allows me to improve the health of your teeth and help make them last a lifetime.
I want to devote this article to discuss three cases and situations that involve or require tooth movement for success.
Three Situations Requiring Tooth Movement For Proper Oral Health
Crowded, lower front teeth
As we age, our lower teeth tend to jam together in the front of the mouth. Besides a cosmetic issue, these teeth collect food and plaque and are a challenge to keep clean. Food collection causes gum inflammation. This inflammation is the beginning of the periodontal disease. If plaque persists in the area, then cavities will develop. For a dentist, it is almost impossible to fix a cavity in a crowded tooth without extensive treatment. A simple cavity can turn into a whole project. Moving the teeth out of their crowded state is a quick fix for this problem.
Chipped teeth
The more we use our teeth, the more they wear down and chip. In cases where the upper teeth overlap the lowers to such an extent that the lower teeth are not visible, accelerates the entire process. Patients come to see me with a request to fix the chipped and broken teeth. The fix is doomed to failure due to the relationship of the upper teeth to the lower teeth. Tooth movement will allow simple bonding to repair the teeth and create a lasting result.
Tooth shifting
After the removal of a tooth, the void created makes the teeth move. Whenever we try to replace the missing tooth, the remaining teeth that shift into that space interfere with replacing the tooth properly. At times, the tooth movement will preclude the placement of an implant or a bridge. I can solve all of these problems with a simple orthodontic movement. Typically the process will take only a short amount of time.
Let us Help You Achieve a Healthy Smile
There are numerous examples in which the movement of teeth solves a problem and helps create an outstanding result. I can correct disease both present and future with some of these techniques.
Please take a moment to look in the mirror and study your teeth carefully. Chipping, crowding, and tooth drifting are common occurrences. Call Megan at 440.951.7856 and let us preserve your teeth in a healthy and ideal state.
Jeffrey Gross, DDS, FAGD is an Ohio licensed general dentist and is on the staff of Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine in the Department of Comprehensive Care.