Unattractive Teeth
One of the most common reasons to visit a dentist or dental specialist is because you are not completely happy with your smile. Like many others, you may have crooked, stained, or missing teeth. These features can interfere with proper chewing, can make your teeth tougher to clean, cause more strain to your teeth, and unfortunately also affect your self-esteem and make you more self-conscious about your smile and overall appearance.
In any of these instances, your doctor will be able to recommend a form of treatment that is the most suitable to you and your needs, and will be able to perfect your smile with the help of specialist dental tools and appliances. Therefore if you or your child have inherited or acquired some form of dental imperfection, your orthodontist may fix the alignment of your teeth or improve the facial development and appearance.
You may complain of an unattractive smile owing to any of the following reaons:
You may be unhappy about the alignment of your teeth, as you notice that your teeth are not as straight as you would like. For instance, you could have an overbite or an under bite, which are usually inherited traits but can also be caused due to other reasons, such as premature loss of “baby” teeth.
Crooked teeth are most often dealt with at a young age while bone structure is still developing, but can be a concern for anyone at any age.
You may notice that the outer layer (the enamel) of your teeth is starting to look stained or discoloured. This is not uncommon, but can still be quite upsetting. The main causes are smoking, tea, carbonated drinks, sports drinks, berries, sauces and sweets. This is because they contain chromogens, which are highly pigmented molecules that latch onto and discolour enamel.
Gaps between two or more teeth can form unnaturally due to a number of reasons, such as if you suck your thumb or have an incorrect swallowing reflex.There are options to address these gaps for aesthetic reasons, or if necessary due to discomfort or more serious symptoms.
There are several reasons why you may be missing a tooth or teeth. For instance, you or your child might be missing a tooth due to a congenital absence, which means there is no permanent tooth (“adult” tooth) to replace a temporary tooth (“baby” tooth). Or you may have suffered a trauma, which has caused a tooth to be knocked out. Or a dental disease has caused you to loose teeth, such as dental caries or periodontal disease. Or you may have suffered a mechanical failure, which means you are missing a tooth because you had cracked or fractured it in such a way that it needed to be extracted. Not only do missing teeth affect the aesthetic look of your smile, it can affect your diet and speech as well. Over time a missing tooth could affect the way your teeth bite together, and can also cause your neighbouring teeth to start growing in at a wrong angle. Missing teeth are most problematic when they have been lost suddenly due to trauma and this should be addressed immediately.
However, it is not always necessary to replace a missing tooth; this space can be closed with braces by moving your own natural teeth in that space, which is why you should discuss your options with your orthodontist.
