Orthodontic services entail the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of facial irregularities and malocclusions, or improper bite. They are offered by specially trained dentists who acquire additional training in orthodontics after becoming certified dentists. These specialized dentists use unique techniques to move natural teeth to their proper positions, alleviating bite problems and related issues like teeth crowding and overlapping. These techniques also improve your smile and oral health.
Agoura Hills Advanced Dentistry offers your entire family reliable, affordable, and timely orthodontic services. If you are unhappy with how your teeth appear or are experiencing jaw pain due to a bad bite in Agoura, we can diagnose and recommend the proper treatment for your needs. We offer various orthodontic treatments, like braces, clear aligners, retainers, and orthodontic surgery, for different needs, budgets, and preferences.
Types of Dental Issues Requiring Orthodontic Treatment
Although you are born with naturally beautiful, healthy, and strong teeth, human teeth are not always perfect. Some people’s teeth overlap, overcrowd, or misalign. Such issues affect how your teeth function and appear. If you have less-than-perfect teeth, your confidence and smile are affected. Imperfect teeth also affect your oral health and general well-being. For example, cleaning your teeth through brushing and flossing becomes challenging if they are misaligned, crooked, or overcrowded. This increases your risk of severe issues like cavities and gum disease, and these conditions affect your oral and general health.
Orthodontic services deal with imperfections to improve teeth’s function, beauty, and oral health. An orthodontist assesses how aligned your teeth are and how well they come together when you bite down. Generally, the teeth on your upper jaw must perfectly meet those on the lower jaw when you bite down. You should also be able to close your mouth with minimal difficulty or without interfering with your teeth. If these are some issues you deal with, you should consider orthodontic services.
Here are some of the dental problems that should compel you to seek the help of a competent orthodontist:
An Underbite
This type of malocclusion happens when the teeth on your lower jaw overlap with those on the upper jaw when you bite down. The severity of this condition depends on the extent of the gap left between the upper and lower teeth when they meet. In addition to affecting your smile and confidence, an underbite affects your oral health and how you speak.
An underbite could happen when the lower jaw misaligned, a condition that can occur at birth. If left untreated, it can affect your ability to pronounce some words as you speak. A severe form of this condition causes eating problems, chronic jaw pain, or a severe TMJ disorder, headaches, and chronic earaches. It also increases your risk of cavities due to difficulties brushing and flossing your teeth. A misaligned jaw can cause excessive teeth grinding as you eat or speak, resulting in enamel wear. Other conditions that result from an underbite include chronic snoring, sleep apnea, and bacterial infection.
A Crossbite
This is a common form of bad bite that happens when the teeth on your upper jaw cross inside those on the lower jaw when you bite down. Its leading causes include excess thumb-sucking in childhood, oversized tonsillitis, delayed loss of baby teeth, and excessive use of devices like pacifiers. The effects of a bad bite are all the same, including difficulties when eating, speaking, and maintaining good oral hygiene.
An Overbite
This is a bite condition when the teeth on your upper jaw protrude more than those on the lower jaw when you bite down. The upper teeth cover those on the lower jaw instead of fitting over them perfectly to form a normal bite. This is primarily a genetic issue, but it can also occur if you have a malformed jaw from childhood. A child’s jaw can be malformed due to pressure from some habits like long-term use of a feeding bottle or pacifier, thumb-sucking, or tongue thrusting.
An Overjet
An overjet is very similar to an overbite but differs in how it occurs. An overjet occurs horizontally, and an overbite occurs vertically. It is an orthodontic problem that is generally genetic but can also be caused by childhood habits like thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, or long-term use of devices like pacifiers.
Dental Crowding
This is a condition that makes your teeth appear to be more than normal inside the mouth. It causes your teeth to appear as if they are competing for limited space. Ideally, every natural tooth has its space on the jaws, which causes them to align correctly and gives you a perfect bite when you bite down. When some of your teeth are misaligned or crooked, they will not fit perfectly on the jaws as they should, making them appear overcrowded.
This issue affects your facial appearance and smile. It also affects how you chew, speak, and clean your teeth.
Dental Spacing
This condition makes your teeth appear overly spaced out in the mouth. Normal teeth have even spaces between them, which causes them to fit perfectly on your jaws. If some teeth are overly spaced out, it leaves minimal or insufficient room for other teeth, causing some of your teeth to overcrowd or overlap. Dental spacing is typical in children, but disappears once permanent teeth develop. However, some adults experience this issue, which affects their smile and teeth functionality and causes bite problems.
You could develop dental spacing as an adult because of genetics, teeth, or jawbone size. An overgrowth of tissues around your gum line can also affect how your teeth align on the jaw. Other issues develop due to unhealthy habits like thumbsucking or gum disease, which causes your teeth to lose their strong attachment to the gums.
An Open Bite
This occurs when your teeth make it difficult to close your mouth. A small opening is left when your mouth closes because of how the teeth on the upper jaw appear. Some open bite problems are genetic. However, you can develop the problem in childhood when your permanent teeth are developing, or if you lose bone density during childhood.
An open bite will affect your smile, speech, and other teeth functionality, like biting and chewing. It can also cause enamel erosion as your teeth crash against each other whenever you speak, eat, or laugh.
Improper Eruption of Permanent Teeth
A typical eruption of permanent teeth occurs when a child loses their milk teeth. A permanent tooth should grow in its rightful position and at the right time. Any disruption or change in growth pattern can affect how your teeth erupt. Some teeth can erupt in the wrong position or angle, causing problems with how your teeth look and function.
Impacted Teeth
A tooth becomes impacted when it fails to erupt as it should because of insufficient space in the gum. This condition primarily affects wisdom teeth, usually the last set of teeth to erupt in adulthood. Wisdom teeth develop after all the other teeth have developed and taken their position in the jaw. If you do not have any more room for erupting teeth on your jaw, a developing tooth can become impacted. This is an excruciating condition. It can also lead to an infection or affect the positioning of other teeth on the jaw.
Types of Treatment Available for Orthodontic Problems
A wide range of treatment options is available for various orthodontic treatments. Orthodontists recommend treatment after examining your teeth, gums, and jawbone to determine the cause and perfect treatment for your problem. Other factors determining the type of treatment you choose for your condition include your preferences, budget, convenience, and comfort.
Dental Braces
Orthodontists use braces to move your teeth to their proper position on the gum. They improve your teeth’s appearance, functionality, and oral health. Orthodontists recommend braces for crowded, misaligned, or overly spaced teeth. These are some of the issues you experience when some of your teeth are in the wrong position on the gum. These issues can also affect your bite, resulting in severe conditions like TMJ disorders.
Braces straighten your teeth and restore the health, beauty, and functionality of the teeth and gums. They make you comfortable speaking, smiling, and eating easily. They work gradually over a particular period by exerting pressure on your teeth, forcing them to move to their proper position. The pressure is enough to move the teeth and roots and align your jaw for perfectly aligned teeth.
Although braces are worn mostly by children and teenagers, they can benefit people of all ages, including adults. Orthodontists do not have an age limit after which you cannot wear braces. They have different braces for various needs, preferences, and patients.
Metal braces are the most common type. They are attached to all your teeth, so you must apply enough pressure to move them in the right direction. You should visit your dentist regularly for adjustments as your teeth move to ensure your treatment is progressive. Once you receive braces, you must wear them continuously for several months (typically 30 months) to fix the problem. However, the exact time you must wear braces will depend on the severity of your dental problem. Eating, speaking, and cleaning your teeth after receiving braces will be challenging, but it should improve with time.
You must be committed to wearing your braces within the recommended period to enjoy good results after the treatment period. You should also keep your teeth and braces clean to reduce your risk of cavities and gum disease.
The Invisalign
This is another tool orthodontists use to straighten misaligned, crooked, crowded, or over spaced teeth. They work almost the same as metal braces, but they look and are worn differently.
Invisalign is a customized brace designed to suit individual needs. They are also clear teeth aligners that you can discreetly use to straighten imperfect teeth. They cover all teeth and apply pressure on them for a particular period to gently restore them to their rightful position in the jaw. Their main difference from metal braces is that they are clear, invisible, and removable. You can remove them when eating and brushing your teeth for comfort and effectiveness. However, you must return them immediately to continue the treatment.
While adults can benefit from metal braces, most prefer Invisalign for its discretion. Adults are also better able to maintain good discipline when removing and returning clear aligners than children. Thus, orthodontists recommend these aligners mostly to adults.
However, before creating Invisalign for your teeth, your orthodontist will examine your teeth and discuss your treatment goals. They will make four or more pairs of aligners of different sizes for your treatment period. You should visit the dentist’s office regularly to evaluate your progress and change the aligners to better-fitting ones that will bring you closer to your goal.
Although Invisalign is removable, you should wear it for at least 22 hours daily for effectiveness. Only remove them when eating and cleaning your teeth.
It will be difficult the first time you wear Invisalign, just like metal braces. You could experience difficulties talking or speaking. However, the discomfort will improve with time. The aligners will feel more comfortable as they start working on your teeth. If your aligners break or become loose, report it to your orthodontist immediately. They will give you a new set of aligners to continue the treatment.
Here are some of the benefits offered by Invisalign:
- Since they are clear, you can discreetly treat your teeth’s imperfections without informing or notifying everyone else. This works well for adults, especially public figures and celebrities who must maintain a particular look.
- They correct teeth’s imperfections over time. Typically, they work within 18 months, meaning they work faster than metal braces, which you must wear for two to two-and-a-half years.
- Maintaining excellent oral hygiene with Invisalign is easy because they are removable. Dentists recommend removing them when eating and brushing to keep your teeth clean during treatment.
- Invisalign is comfortable because the aligners are mainly made from plastic.
Surgical Treatment
Some orthodontic problems require surgical treatment. Orthodontists recommend surgery when other treatments fail to produce the desired results. Surgery can also accelerate your treatment results. It can help with many issues, including jaw misalignment, underbite, and overbite. However, your orthodontic problem must be serious before your dentist recommends surgery.
Since surgery is painful, you will need local anesthesia for comfort during treatment. Surgery can also be invasive, especially if the surgeon needs to reposition your gums, teeth, or bones to correct your orthodontic problem. It can be major or minor, depending on the underlying issue.
However, even a minor surgery is painful and can result in complications, such as excessive bleeding and infection. Your dentist will discuss these risk factors beforehand to prepare you for what to expect. A competent orthodontist will also take adequate precautions to protect you from possible complications and improve your chances of a successful operation.
How To Search for The Best Orthodontic Services
Your smile and oral health are as important as your well-being. Dentists recommend taking good care of your teeth to boost your confidence and general health. Misaligned teeth can affect your facial appearance, smile, confidence, and oral health. You must choose orthodontic services carefully to improve your teeth’s appearance, enhance oral health, and restore your beautiful smile.
You need a skilled and experienced orthodontist for this. They must have the proper training and experience in treating various dental problems, especially your specific issue. A competent orthodontist will pay close attention to your needs and offer the exact service you deserve to improve your teeth’s appearance, functionality, and health.
You can ask for referrals for people close to you, including your family members, friends, or colleagues. If any of them has used an orthodontic service in the past, they will likely refer you to an excellent orthodontist for the job. A quick online search can also give amazing results because most orthodontists advertise their services online. Narrow down your search to your location.
Once you have one or a few orthodontists in mind, talk to them about their services, charges, and your expectations. Consider their review too, to understand the kind of service you should expect.
Find a Reliable Orthodontic Service Near Me
Are you or someone you know seeking treatment for misaligned, crooked, crowded, or overspaced teeth in Agoura?
These are some of the issues that affect how you look, speak, eat, or smile. They also affect your confidence, oral, and general health. However, a competent orthodontist can help you align your teeth through a reliable and effective treatment to improve your smile and confidence and restore your teeth’s functionality.
At Agoura Hills Advanced Dentistry, we know how vital a reliable orthodontic service is. Our highly trained and experienced orthodontists can take you through the treatment process for various orthodontic issues. We will explain the treatment options available to you and help you choose the one that fits your needs, preferences, and budget. Call us at 818-878-7300 to discuss our oral health and services in detail.