It’s easy to imagine your smile is set in stone or destined to only fade over time, but this just isn’t so. With a wide range of restorative treatments and our adult-focused care, you don’t have to settle with your smile as it is today if you see our orthodontist Liverpool.
Moving tooth position
You may not notice that teeth are in a constant state of movement. They have to be able to respond to the forces we put on them every day by eating and throughout the night as we sleep on our sides. These forces are fairly small and are never consistent in the same direction. So, in general, our teeth appear stationary. But without that flexibility, they would be far more prone to being damaged.
Working with this natural process is the role of our orthodontist Liverpool. Applying consistent pressure in a certain direction, teeth can be encouraged to take on new positions. This not only gives us the ability to change the location of your teeth, but also their orientation. As many teeth can become twisted in place when they are overcrowded. Through the use of braces, clear aligners and a myriad of other orthodontist Liverpool tools, forces can be consistently applied, and the final tooth positions maintained.
Functional versus cosmetic
We tell our patients there is more to straightening teeth than simply having a more attractive smile.
If your teeth are misaligned, you are at a higher risk of developing cavities and gum disease. Simply because misaligned teeth are harder to clean.
There is also an additional risk of nocturnal grinding, which is more likely to occur if you have molar teeth that are not aligned correctly. Left unchecked, this can develop into temporomandibular joint disorder. This is a degenerative disorder of the jaw joint, which is linked to migraines, headaches and also arthritic conditions within this joint.
If you have misaligned teeth, you may also notice that you have issues with biting into and chewing food. This will be more prevalent if you have an overbite, an underbite or even a crossbite. Misaligned molars can also cause issues with chewing food correctly. This has been associated with a higher incidence of acid reflux, heartburn and other upper gastrointestinal concerns. So, the use of a brace or aligner can actually help reduce chest pain after eating a hearty meal.
The aesthetic advantages of having straighter teeth are more obvious and well known. You will smile more and feel better about your appearance. You will also be more likely to engage in additional treatments to improve your teeth’s aesthetics. So, you may decide to whiten them or have cracks and excessive staining concealed using veneers. But this is outside the remit of our orthodontic team and falls to our expert cosmetic dentist at the Liverpool Smile Studio.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many benefits of having a brace or aligner that go far beyond what is mentioned here. If you would like to find out more, please feel free to get in contact with our clinic. We are currently accepting new patients and would be happy to hear from you.