The bad position of the teeth or dental crowding is known to the teeth that have no space in your mouth, so they are overcrowded. Having crowded teeth is not only a problem of dental aesthetics, because of the image they offer to your smile, it is also a health problem, since it is very difficult to clean between them causing the formation of tartar calculus or even cavities that can lead to the loss of teeth.
What can cause dental crowding?
Dental crowding can originate genetically when there is not enough space in the upper jaw or mandible for the correct position of all the teeth. It can also be caused by the inclination or malposition of some teeth, by the loss or absence of these teeth. Another cause can be having supernumerary teeth and not proceeding to their extraction or even bad habits.
When it is due to genetics this dental situation can be detected from the first 6 years of life and a visit to the dentist can be the best way to work on the ideal treatment early for this type of cases, preventing or decreasing crowding in adulthood.
How we could classify it:
Genetic cause crowding.
Crowding due to oral habits, due to the premature loss of a temporary or permanent tooth and not remedying the absence.
Crowding due to the eruption of poorly positioned third molars that generate forces against the rest of the teeth.
TYPES OF TREATMENTS
Dental crowding can be treated at early ages (7-11 years) with appliances such as fixed expanders or removable expansion plates helping the growth of the bone bases.
In very mild cases with removable orthodontic braces we can place the teeth in the correct position.
Moderate cases can be solved with a slight stripping (filing slightly between the teeth) to generate space and position with fixed orthodontics, i.e. with brackets.
Medium or considerable cases are solved with a complete orthodontic treatment.
In severe cases, where crowding is greater than 7 mm, we must make extractions, especially of the premolars and / or wisdom teeth, and fixed appliances with brackets.
What happens if I don’t fix it?
Poorly positioned or crowded teeth hinder proper hygiene by brushing, which increases the incidence of caries. Likewise, and due to poor hygiene, the accumulation of tartar will be greater and with it the risk of suffering from gingivitis and periodontitis.
The dental enamel of crowded teeth wears down unevenly, as not all tooth faces are exposed in the same way, causing some teeth to suffer severe wear and/or fractures.
Poorly positioned teeth will cause the occlusion (bite) not to be correct, since the arches do not close properly, so that the chewing loads are not distributed properly and this will generate discomfort and overload in the TMJ or temporomandibular joint causing wear in the joint that will be reflected with frequent facial pain or muscle discomfort due to the affectation.
Can I fix my dental malposition with veneers?
Dental veneers are recommended for a slight dental malposition, that is to say, a slight rotation of one or a few teeth, small separations, a slight misalignment.
If we present a significant dental crowding, large diastemas (spaces between teeth), mal-occlusion, we must first perform orthodontic treatment, otherwise the result of a treatment with veneers would not end up being aesthetic because the proportions of the prosthesis would not be natural or regular, providing an undesirable or false appearance.
We must be realistic, dental veneers offer excellent results in dental esthetics but they do not work miracles.
If you have a space between teeth that you do not like, or a slight rotation of a tooth, this could be your treatment to improve your dental esthetics.
What happens after the treatment?
It is important that, at the end of orthodontic treatment, we finish with retentions, these could be fixed from canine to canine cemented on the back of the teeth or removable, generally during the first year of orthodontic treatment is recommended for use all day and night, after a year is recommended for use only at night.
In Makeover Dental Studio we carry out the most advanced techniques on orthodontics and dental malposition. If you need an evaluation, schedule your appointment at makeoverdentalstudio@hotmail.com or call us at MX (664)634-2023 / EU (619) 202-0423.
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