Crooked teeth are not pleasant to look at, and depending on how severe your crooked teeth are, they can possibly lead to more severe conditions that we have listed below. Not only can crooked teeth affect your general and oral health, but it can also have a negative impact on your self-esteem and confidence causing you to hide your smile.
Many of you may be thinking that you do not have the time or money to go to the dentist and correct something that is simply cosmetic, however, we are going to explain that by fixing your crooked teeth now, you will be saving money in the future by avoiding other dental issues.
Problems Caused By Crooked Teeth
- Difficulties Cleaning Your Teeth
- Crooked teeth often overlap with neighboring teeth creating gaps and spaces. Not only are these gaps and spaces difficult to clean even with a toothbrush or dental floss, but these spaces are also a nice place to plaque and bacteria to hide.
- Damage To Your Teeth
- Since crooked teeth with overlap with neighboring teeth, this will cause them to rub and grind against one another. This action can cause your teeth to crack, chip, and will wear the enamel off your teeth.
- Halitosis (Bad Breath)
- Crooked teeth are not the most ideal thing to look at, but they can smell even worse. This relates directly to your teeth being difficult to clean as bacteria will find newly created spaces and crevices to hide and grow. This will then create bad odors from your breath that is much worse than your breath after eating garlic.
- TMJ
- Crooked teeth will continue to grow crooked until they are fixed. This means that your growing crooked teeth can easily cause misalignment of your jaw and excessive wear on your temporomandibular joint (TMJ). TMJ is very uncomfortable and even painful that will also require treatment to resolve.
- Gum Disease
- As mentioned above, crooked teeth are difficult to clean, and some teeth are so crooked that it is almost impossible to clean your gums properly. Bacteria that remains on your gums for a prolonged period of time will progress into plaque. The plaque will progress into gingivitis which is the beginning stages of gum disease.
Schedule An Appointment
If you are experiencing crooked teeth or any of the symptoms caused by crooked teeth, Dr. Sousa can perform a complete evaluation and recommend treatment options to address crooked teeth to help ensure that your smile will last a lifetime. To schedule an appointment, call (516) 253-6873 or schedule an appointment online.