Many people need orthodontics at some stage in their lives. The easiest time to treat problems is once you have your adult teeth but while you are still young.
Orthodontics can be used to treat general problems such as:
- difficulty with chewing or biting
- speech difficulty
- grinding or clenching teeth
- jaws that shift or make clicking sounds.
There are also many different conditions of the teeth or bite that can be improved by orthodontic treatment.
These are some of the terms for teeth that aren’t doing quite the right thing!
- Crowding – This happens when too many teeth come through without enough space on your jaw. Some teeth are pushed backwards, forwards or to the side. Apart from looking bad, crowded teeth can be difficult to clean and are more likely to decay or be damaged.
- Protruded teeth – This happens when the top front teeth grow forwards as well as down. Not a good look, and the protruding teeth are more likely to get damaged. The lower front teeth also have the opportunity to grow too far up and cause damage behind the top teeth.
- Under bite – This is when the lower front teeth stick out beyond the top teeth. It causes uneven wear of the front teeth.
- Deep bite – This is when the top front teeth cover the lower teeth. It can cause too much wear on the front teeth and can damage your gums.
- Open bite – This happens when some teeth don’t meet when you close your jaws. That can make eating rather difficult, can cause speech difficulties and causes too much wear on the teeth that do meet.
- Cross bite – The top teeth should fit just outside the lower teeth, like the lid on a box. If the upper jaw is too narrow, the lower jaw may swing to one side. Needless to say, that causes all sorts of problems.
You may also need orthodontic treatment for:
- Missing teeth – Where teeth are missing, orthodontic treatment can move the remaining teeth into the correct position.
- Thumb sucking – If you sucked your thumb or fingers regularly as a kid, your teeth and the supporting bone may have moved out of their proper place.
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