It is rare for people to simply decide by themselves that they need braces. The idea typically comes from outside. A hygienist points out that one of the lower teeth is difficult to clean. Someone else sends a photograph taken from an angle that you never see when looking at yourself. The thought then stays in the back of your mind for months since nothing aches and nothing seems broken.
Straight teeth are usually regarded as a matter of beauty, but this is only one part of the story. The way your teeth come together has an effect on your ability to chew, on how easily you can clean some areas, and on the evenness with which biting force is distributed throughout your mouth. Braces are used to correct all of these factors as well as to improve appearance.
The article gives seven practical signs which it is worth mentioning to a dentist. The fact is that none of these signs means that you need braces. Each of them indicates to a dentist where he should look more closely.
Why alignment problems stay hidden for years
Bite difficulties seldom show themselves; they develop gradually, typically in the teenage years, and you get used to them without realising it. You start to chew on one side only, some foods are avoided, a specific gap tends to collect food, and you just end up carrying a toothpick.
As one gets older, a new stage is added. Many people think that braces are something for teenagers and never bring it up again, even though a large number of patients nowadays are adults.
Since the change takes place gradually, the brain considers it to be normal. This is the reason why so many adults who later have orthodontic treatment say the same thing afterwards: they were unaware of how much they had been living with their own bite.
Seven signs worth raising at your next dental visit
Every time you eat, food becomes stuck in the same place. The close fit of the teeth forms narrow gaps which a toothbrush can’t reach, and floss has difficulty going through them smoothly. The fact that one spot in your mouth always has to be looked after after a meal is due to the position of those two teeth.
There is one area where bleeding will always occur no matter how carefully you brush, since crowded teeth hide plaque in the corners that the brush head can’t reach, and even in people who follow a good brushing routine, the gums in those areas remain only slightly swollen, and sometimes improvement in alignment does what better brushing alone cannot achieve.
When your front teeth come together with your mouth closed, they don’t make contact. If you try chewing on a sandwich, you’ll find that pushing the sandwich to one side since your front teeth go past each other without meeting is an indication of an open bite, and this affects the way the back teeth carry out the chewing.
You tend to chew on one side, and it is something many patients only realise when they are expressly asked. Since one side of the teeth comes into contact more than the other, that side feels more comfortable, and so the jaw gradually prefers it.
Your jaw tends to feel tight, hurts in the morning, or clicks when you open your mouth wide. There are several possible reasons for jaw discomfort, and one of them is bite position. It is worth mentioning in this connection since it provides your dentist with useful information.
Since your twenties, your teeth have moved. During adulthood, the lower front teeth generally tend to shift and become crowded. Those who had braces when they were teenagers often notice this if they took off their retainers early, and it is one of the most common reasons why adults return for treatment.
Certain edges of the teeth appear to be chipped, flattened or worn. If two teeth come together at an angle for which they were not intended, then the enamel at that spot has to take on more force than it should. The patterns of wear give an experienced dentist a great deal of information about the bite that caused them.
What an orthodontic assessment involves
The initial appointment is mainly concerned with gathering information and is much less dramatic than most people anticipate.
Photos of your teeth and your face are taken from a number of angles, an X-ray is taken to show the position of the roots, the bone levels and any teeth that are still beneath the gum, and your dentist looks at how the upper and lower teeth fit together before examining the gums since it is necessary to have healthy gums before any tooth is moved.
People’s views have changed significantly in recent years. Rather than using a tray of putty which is kept in the mouth, a great many clinics nowadays employ an intraoral scanner, which is a small camera-like device that creates a three-dimensional model of your teeth on the screen within a matter of minutes. The ability to see your own bite enlarged and rotated makes the discussion a lot easier, since your dentist can indicate precisely what they are talking about.
By the time your visit has ended, you will know what is going on in your mouth, which of the available options apply to your situation, get a rough idea of how long the treatment is likely to take, and also what will happen if you decide at this stage to do nothing.
When braces are not the answer
There’s no need to correct every irregularity. A tooth that’s only a little out of place and doesn’t bother you at all when you’re in photographs doesn’t warrant a treatment period of one and a half years, and an honest dentist would say this.
Inflammation of the gums must always be dealt with first because teeth pass through living tissue, and it is important to have healthy support. In some cases, small gaps are more successfully treated with a simple restorative method than with orthodontic treatment. Mild crowding can often be adequately treated with the use of clear aligners, while rotations, severe crowding and adjustments to the bite generally require the use of fixed dental braces. In other instances, patients do need a combination of treatments, starting with one and ending with another.
The fact that treatment is optional in your situation is useful information, not a wasted visit.
Choosing between starting now and waiting
Crowding in the adult teeth is usually a bit more severe by the age of thirty-five than it is at thirty, which is one of the reasons why it is advisable to have yourself assessed rather than one for which you should make a hasty decision.
The thing that waiting has an effect on is planning. It is much easier to fit treatment into your life when you choose the timing rather than having the calendar choose it for you. People who are considering braces in Dubai usually plan the start of treatment to coincide with school terms, during their summer travels or while they are having a more relaxed period at work. Even if you decide that next year is the better time, knowing what options are available gives you a degree of control.
What treatment usually looks like
In most cases, after the orthodontic treatment, braces remain in place for a period ranging from twelve to twenty-four months, with short adjustment appointments taking place every few weeks; the early ones are concerned with getting the teeth lined up into an even arch while the later ones focus on the way the two arches come together, a process which is slower and less noticeable but involves more substantial work.
After the braces are removed, retainers are worn, and it is more important than most people think. If the teeth are left in the newly set bone without support, they will move back, which is why retainer use forms the second half of orthodontic treatment and not just an optional extra.
Conclusion
You can’t decide whether or not you need braces just by looking at your teeth in the bathroom mirror. It comes down to how your bite functions, how easily you can keep all the surfaces clean, and what you really want to change. Each of the seven signs mentioned above is a good reason to have a dentist give you a proper examination. The appointment will provide you with a clear answer and will leave you free to choose when you want to carry it out.
Contact us
If you’re looking for a dentist in JVC, our team is here to help.
Name: Magnum Dental Clinic – JVC
Address: Arcadia Tower, Shop 2, Beside CART Supermarket, Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Phone: +971 50 719 3374
