Misaligned
teeth can be embarrassing and may make you want to hide your smile
from the world. However, crooked teeth are not just embarrassing but
actually lead to long-term serious issues. If you have a crooked
smile, check out these five common complications you may experience.
1.
Tooth Decay, Infection, and Gum Disease
Keeping
your teeth clean is about removing plaque from every surface of your
tooth on a daily basis. This prevents the plaque from hardening,
which can irritate gums, leading to gum disease. Without much plaque,
bacteria also has less food to eat, which means they produce less
enamel-eating acids.
Normally,
you can easily do this with brushing and flossing, but if your teeth
are severely crooked or overcrowded, reaching between teeth can be
difficult or impossible. You may be able to try using a thinner type
of floss, but without treatment to straighten the teeth, you will
have to put more effort into keeping your teeth clean or deal with
increased decay, infection, and gum disease.
2.
Speech Impediment
Being
able to speak properly involves hitting your tongue in the right
spot, which sometimes includes your front teeth. If you have
malocclusion, your teeth do not fit together right when the mouth is
closed. People with malocclusion sometimes have a harder time
pronouncing words than people with straight teeth.
The
worse your malocclusion, the worse your speech impediment. If your
speech impediment is from crooked teeth or malocclusion, the only
treatment often is braces to realign the teeth.
3.
TMJ Pain and Complications
TMJ
refers to the temporomandibular joint, which controls opening and
closing your mouth. Damage to this area can lead to TMJ syndrome,
which presents with pain at the TMJ, which may worsen when you chew
or speak. The joint may also pop when you use it. Other symptoms
include temple pain, headache, ear pain, or locking of the jaw.
TMJ
can actually be from many factors, including poor posture and gum
chewing. However, it can also occur when you have malocclusion. If
your teeth cannot open, close, and hit together properly, this puts
extra stress and strain on the joint.
4.
Grinding Teeth
Teeth
grinding or bruxism has many causes. In fact, just being stressed or
anxious can lead to teeth grinding during the day and at night. If
you grind your teeth during the day, you are probably aware of this
bad habit, but if you grind your teeth at night, look for jaw pain
(especially upon waking), sore gums, sensitive teeth, loose teeth,
and headache.
Crooked
teeth, however, can also promote bruxism. This may occur if the teeth
hit each other awkwardly because of crooked or rotated teeth.
Long-term tooth grinding will lead to shortened teeth and chips.
5.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep
apnea is a condition in which you stop breathing for a moment during
the night. The interruption wakes you enough to start breathing
again, causing a restless night's sleep. The cause may from your nose
or nasal health, but many sufferers have misaligned teeth.
If
you have crooked teeth that make your mouth narrow, your tongue has
less room, so it is more likely to fall into your throat. If you have
an overbite, it may cause you to sleep with your mouth open, which
can also help collapse the throat, making it harder to breath.
Having
a straight smile does not just give you more confidence; it helps
your oral health in the long run. If you have crooked teeth, start
seeking treatment. For more information about braces and how they can
help you, contact
us today
at Donald E. Snyder Orthodontics.
