If you think the look of your smile is the only thing affected by your crooked teeth, you’re wrong. Your crooked, crowded, or misaligned teeth can make it more difficult for you to keep your teeth clean and free of tartar and plaque, which may mean an increased risk of gum disease.
At Hometown Family Dental Centers, we do more than just clean your teeth and fill cavities. We also provide advanced orthodontic treatments to improve your misalignment — so we not only fix your smile, but your oral health, too.
If you’re debating treatment for your crooked, uneven teeth because you don’t want to appear too vain, consider instead how your misalignment can affect your oral health down the road.
Bleeding gums is usually a sign that something is wrong. If you saw blood on your leg, you would investigate and do what you could to stop the bleeding, and you should take the same precaution if your gums are bleeding after you brush or floss your teeth, because that shouldn’t happen.
Gum disease is a painless infection that develops in the tissue that surrounds your teeth when bacteria get trapped by plaque and tartar. If you don’t take care of the infection, it spreads and may damage the structures that keep your teeth in place, leading to tooth loss.
Your mouth is teeming with bacteria. Most of the bacteria in your mouth aren’t harmful to you, your teeth, or your health. In fact, some — referred to as probiotics — are actually good for you. Unfortunately, there are a few bad bugs that can lead to tooth decay and gum disease.
The sticky plaque that forms on your teeth and around your gums is created by the bacteria in your mouth. Regular brushing and flossing helps remove the sticky plaque and keeps the bacteria from lingering too long.
When not brushed or flossed away, however, the sticky plaque hardens and turns into tartar. In addition to being nearly impossible to remove without a visit to your dentist, tartar traps the bacteria on your teeth and under your gums, allowing them to flourish in a warm, moist environment. Over time, the bacteria multiply and lead to gum disease.
The reason we schedule regular cleanings every six months is so we can remove the tartar and plaque from your teeth.
Your crooked or crowded teeth may make brushing and flossing more difficult. Any impediment to removing the plaque from your teeth increases your risk of developing gum disease. If you can’t get your toothbrush bristles or dental floss in between your teeth because of overlap, you may not be able to remove the sticky film of plaque, which then turns into tartar, traps the bacteria, and increases your risk of gum disease.
We can recommend tools to help you remove plaque and tartar from your hard-to-reach spots. But when it comes to long-term oral health, we may also suggest treatments to help improve your misalignment, giving you the straight, even smile you’ve always wanted and helping to keep you free of gum disease.
At Hometown Family Dental Centers, we offer some of the most advanced teeth straightening options to improve your misalignment. Some of the options include:
Invisalign uses clear aligners to gently and discreetly move your teeth into an even and more aesthetically pleasing position.
FASTBRACES utilizes advanced dental technology to move your teeth at the roots starting on Day One of treatment. You may start to notice the improvement in your smile in three months.
Six Month Smiles also uses clear aligners that have the ability to move your teeth into position — in about six months.
We can help you determine the best orthodontic treatment for your based on the type of misalignment you have and your overall oral health needs.
Misaligned teeth are more than an aesthetic issue and could be the root cause of future gum disease. To improve both your smile and your oral health, call Hometown Family Dental Centers today or request an appointment online.
