Is your bite affecting your dental health?

If your teeth are misaligned, you might not like your smile. On the other hand, you might find your slightly crooked smile charming! After all, it makes you look unique, and it’s not hurting anything, right? Actually, crooked teeth can have a negative impact on your dental health. Read on to learn more about how your bite affects your mouth and why crooked teeth are not just a cosmetic issue.

Crooked teeth come in all sorts of variations, for many different reasons. Some people have mouths that are too small for their teeth, so the teeth become crowded and shift out of position. Other people have jaws that aren’t the same size or are misaligned, causing an overbite or underbite. The shape of your mouth and configuration of your teeth can be inherited traits or they can be the result of factors like improperly fitting dental restorations, misalignment of the jaw from an injury, or even thumb, sucking, tongue thrusting, or extended pacifier use as a young child.

• Sometimes, misaligned teeth can interfere with eating and speaking. If you’ve got an overbite, for example, you might struggle to eat or experience discomfort while chewing. Trying to compensate for your misalignment can put stress on your jaw. You might also have trouble articulating your words, or you might speak with a lisp.
• Crooked teeth can cause problems with your jaw. You might have pain or stiffness, or even temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Your jaw might hurt when you chew, or you might experience pain in your ears or face. Clicking or popping of the jaw is another sign of TMD, as is fatigue of the facial muscles. In severe cases, misaligned teeth can cause lockjaw, making it impossible to fully open or shut the mouth.
• It can be hard to breathe if you have crooked teeth. This is because misaligned jaws cause the tongue to be improperly positioned. When it’s not resting in the right place, it can block your airways. This can prevent proper breathing and disrupt your sleep.
• Misaligned teeth can become damaged. It can be challenging to clean teeth that are incorrectly aligned, so they’re at higher risk of cavities, gingivitis, and tooth decay. An overbite can cause cracked or broken teeth, and loss of enamel from grinding, and misalignment can strain the teeth, jaws, and muscles, which can also result in broken teeth.

If your teeth are crooked or your bite is misaligned, your dentist can diagnose it by checking for abnormal alignment or abnormal appearance of your face. The dentist will also ask if you have difficulty chewing or biting, and will evaluate you for speech difficulties like a lisp. If the dentist believes your mouth needs correction, you’ll be referred to an orthodontist for diagnosis and treatment. In some cases, surgery may be recommended, but often, misalignment can be corrected with braces or Invisalign.

Whether you need simple cleaning or a specialty service like Invisalign®, choose the practice that was voted best dentist in NYC! At Park 56 Dental Group, we offer pediatric, prosthodontics, endodontics, oral surgery, Invisalign®, emergency, and sedation dentistry, all at the highest level of treatment. We serve the Midtown, Central Park, Upper East Side, Park Avenue, and all surrounding Manhattan and New York areas, with a patient-centered practice that has hours to fit your schedule. Schedule your complimentary consultation today by contacting us online or calling us at (212) 826-2322.