You know what to say during your first visit to the orthodontist. Now, it’s time to find the right person to help you straighten your smile with the best orthodontist near you. And, if you need more health news and advice, be sure to check back with us.
Are you asking yourself, “do I need braces?”
Not everyone grows up with perfect teeth that align well or have the right spacing. Sometimes, it’s caused by a lack of early care and maintenance. At other times, it’s in your genes to have crooked teeth or some other tooth-related issue.
One effective way to fix tooth-related problems includes getting braces. In this short guide, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about orthodontics. Keep reading to learn about whether you need professional help or if you can keep your teeth as they are.
Signs You Need Braces: Crowded or Crooked Teeth
This first issue that may call the need for braces is crowding or crooked teeth. Crowding occurs when your teeth are taking up more space than necessary.
Often, this occurs when your teeth are larger than your jaw and don’t fit in it.
Overcrowding may also be the result of losing a primary tooth too early. The teeth next to it may move into its space, leaving little or no space for the secondary tooth.
If you’ve got crowded teeth, you may experience a variety of problems. These problems include:
- Speech problems
- Gum disease
- Bad breath
- Unnecessary wear and tear
- Impacted functioning
A popular way to fix crooked teeth is with invisible trays like Invisalign. The subtlety of invisible trays is what pushed the significant growth of Invisalign aligners. You can even use Invisalign brackets to fix severe overcrowding.
However, a more effective and faster way to fix overcrowded teeth is with braces. When we look at Invisalign vs. braces, Invisalign trays can take 12-18 months to take effect. Yet, you can see results within a shorter period when you decide to get braces.
You Have a Tooth Gap
If your teeth aren’t getting crowded, they may be too far apart from each other instead. Another issue that might be pushing you to ask, “Do I need braces” is this. As the opposite of crowding, tooth gaps and spacing occur when your jaw is too large.
Read Also: Know More About Who An Orthodontist Is?
Sometimes, it’s not that you have the genetics of having a large jaw. Rather, you’re missing a tooth. The other teeth in your mouth are moving into the space left behind.
The spaces between teeth can become plaque traps. If you don’t find a solution to fix this problem, you may later experience teeth or gum disease.
Braces can help correct your teeth and pull them in the right position. However, it’s not enough to get braces to fix your tooth gaps. You may also need to get dental bridges, implants, or veneers to hold your teeth in place.
Your Front Teeth Don’t Align
When you close your teeth, do your front upper and lower teeth align? They should. Otherwise, you have either an underbite or overbite.
Both conditions can cause problems. The underbite is the condition where most of your upper front teeth are behind the lower front teeth. An overbite is the opposite, in which your lower front teeth are behind the upper front teeth.
These two conditions can cause problems like increased risk or trauma to the front teeth. An underbite can cause an imbalanced facial appearance and accelerated facial aging. An overbite can lead to unnecessary tooth wear and gum recession.
It’s Hard for You to Chew or Bite
If you find difficulty in chewing, then you may have oral issues with a brace solution. Difficulties in chewing and biting occur when your teeth aren’t in correct alignment. For example, your teeth have already twisted and don’t align anymore.
This issue can cause severe problems caused by an overcompensation of certain parts. You may experience pain in the temporomandibular jaw (TMJ) area. Other signs that you’ve got a TMJ disorder include:
- Chronic headaches
- Pain or tenderness of the jaw
- Pain in one or both TMJ joints
- Pain around the ear
- Facial pain
A way to fix this is to get corrective tooth braces. Braces are common and effective treatments for TMJ disorders. If you want to learn the various treatments of braces, you can see more here.
Does My Child Need Braces?
Some children with severe oral health issues may be candidates for braces. The common oral issues that call for braces for children are:
- Unusual tooth loss
- Clogged teeth
- Speech problems
- Crowded teeth
- Underbite or overbite
- Open bite
- Difficulty in chewing or biting
You may find that most of these symptoms are also common in adults.
For example, two of the top causes of tooth loss in adults include cavities and gum disease. In children, tooth loss is more common as kids grow a little older. However, if you notice some abnormal tooth loss in your child, pay closer attention. Your kid might need braces.
While it’s normal for tooth loss to occur in our younger years, it’s unusual for kids to lose their teeth early. A variety of factors can cause this, like accidents and genetics. However, it’ll be difficult for the child later when their permanent teeth have no space to go.
Do I Need Braces of Certain Types?
Are you wondering, “should I get braces?” If the answer is yes, the next thing to consider is the type of braces to get. The different types of braces are:
- Invisible braces
- Lingual braces
- Clear or ceramic braces
- Traditional braces.
Remember that different types of orthodontics treatments also have different costs. Always research everything before you commit. This way, you know what you’re getting into.
Get the Proper Correction for Your Teeth While You Can
That ends our guide on orthodontics and why you need to know if you have to get braces. We hope you know when it’s the right time to get braces for your teeth with this knowledge. The same applies when you have kids to worry about.
When experiencing the things we mentioned above, ask yourself again, “do I need braces?” Return to this guide at any time and reread what you need to do to resolve the issue. You can also check out other guides if you want to see other types of related content.
