Do you have uneven teeth? If you have crooked or crowded teeth, then you understand how misalignment impacts your appearance. Less apparent however, are the ways that misalignment impacts your oral health. Correcting your uneven smile is essential for improving oral health. Does your smile need braces or ClearCorrect to address your misalignment?
The Link Between Misalignment and Poor Oral Health
How does an uneven smile hurt our oral health? First, crowded or overlapping teeth are often difficult to thoroughly brush or floss. Soon, bacteria can break down the bits of food caught between the teeth, leading to plaque buildup. A buildup of plaque can weaken the outer tooth enamel (leading to a higher risk of tooth decay) and inflame the gum tissue (increasing odds of gingivitis and eventually gum disease). Often, missing or uneven teeth place pressure on the jaw joints, making patients more susceptible to TMJ disorder or chronic teeth grinding, also known as bruxism. In order to avoid these issues you should discuss possible orthodontic solutions with your dentist.
ClearCorrect
We offer the ClearCorrect system, which corrects minor alignment issues in patients 16 and older. The patient wears a series of clear plastic aligners for between 20 and 23 hours a day, upgrading to a new set about once every two weeks. Over the course of a year to 18 months, the teeth are repositioned. The aligners can be removed before meals, meaning you don’t have to change how you eat. The plastic aligners are custom-made for a comfortable fit.
Traditional Orthodontics
However, if you have more serious misalignment then ClearCorrect may not be for you. You can still enjoy an even smile, but may need to help of traditional braces, which use brackets and arch wires to reposition the teeth over the period of 18 months to 2 years on average.
ABOUT YOUR ASTORIA, NY, DENTIST:
Jeffrey Leibowitz, DDS, a native New Yorker, has welcomed patients and families from in and around Astoria, NY (including Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and all surrounding communities) since opening his dental practice in 1991. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Leibowitz, call our office in Astoria today at 718-728-8320.
