Misaligned teeth can spoil looks, which can be a very frustrating and depressing experience for people with this problem. One of these problems is diastema which are gaps between the teeth and are caused by extended jaws or smaller teeth than normal. There have been treatments over the years that have been mostly uncomfortable and painful. The treatment mostly drew attention as the metal braces would show whenever the person smiled and caused further embarrassment. Restrictions on food and hard, crunchy foods had to be avoided due to an apprehension that this would interfere with the teeth alignment process.
Treating these anomalies
The problem of misaligned teeth used to be originally dealt by dentists till further development in the field of teeth and jaw alignment led to the creation of a separate branch which came to be known as orthodonty. This specialised field led to a lot of development in the care of misaligned jaws and teeth. Besides teeth alignment with the help of braces and aligners, orthodontists also need to perform surgery in extreme cases and also do treatments such as jawline alignment by carefully controlling facial growth in children from a young age. Treatment from a young age helps reduce the severity of misalignment of teeth.
The problem of misalignment in teeth and jaws is known as malocclusion and is mostly treated with the help of invisible aligners. These aligners are made of hard plastic and worn over the teeth as a cover. Aligners are custom-made for every person based on the shape of the teeth of each individual. There are a series of aligners where the slots for the teeth are spaced from the existing misaligned position to the desired position gradually. Each aligner is changed for the next one when the teeth align themselves towards the desired positions. The aligners need to be worn at least 20 hours a day and can be removed for cleaning and removing entrapped food and plaque. These aligners are invisible braces and do not have sharp edges or metal parts, including wires that may cause pain or discomfort.
Professional care for treating misaligned teeth also includes the process of dental implants. These are done more often by dentists rather than orthodontists. This process involves the replacement of badly misaligned or partly broken teeth with new teeth created by the dentist. The process involves the placement of titanium rods, and the new teeth are attached to the titanium rods.
Another form of less severe treatment for only a few slightly misaligned teeth is the process of using porcelain veneers. These are veneers made of porcelain, and they are made to match the teeth' colour and texture so that they do not stand out and are not noticeable. The veneers are small chips that are attached to the surface of teeth. The dentist shaves off the most misaligned parts of teeth, and the veneers are put on the shaved parts so that the repaired tooth looks more aligned.
The use of braces is one of the oldest treatments though ceramic braces are now being used. The braces are coloured to resemble teeth, and even the wires are matched with the actual texture of teeth to make them less noticeable.
The development of orthodonty and the new types of treatment can reassure people that they do not have to live with misaligned teeth, and this defect can be treated with the best professional care.