If you can see that your teeth are crooked without your dentist having to tell you, then you might automatically assume that the most concerning thing about them is your smile’s appearance. While this is a significant concern, the more serious consequences of crooked teeth (or malocclusion) are the impacts they can have on your overall oral health. Because of these consequences, straightening crooked teeth is more important than just improving your smile’s appearance. It’s also necessary for preventing more serious, compounding oral health complications down the road.
How they affect your dental health
Alignment matters to your teeth in a number of ways. For instance, the pressure of your bite is evenly distributed when your teeth are even, but an imbalance in your tooth alignment can disturb this distribution. This can lead to damaged teeth, exhausted or damaged jaw joints, and more. It can also force your teeth further out of alignment, making your malocclusion worse and increasing your risks of other issues even further.
How they grow worse with time
When children exhibit crooked teeth, the condition will grow worse as their teeth and jawbones continue to grow. For adults, crooked teeth can grow worse when imbalanced bite pressure continues to force them further out of alignment. The only way to stop crooked teeth from growing worse is to correct their alignment as soon as possible, which your dentist can help you do with the right, customized orthodontic treatment.
Find Out How to Correct Crooked Teeth
Aside from your smile’s appearance, crooked teeth may have a more significant impact on your oral health than you may realize. To learn more about correcting them, schedule a consultation by calling Lathrop Dental Center in Katy, TX at 832-437-3849. We proudly welcome patients and families from Katy, Fulshear, Weston Lakes, Simonton, Richmond, Rosenberg, Brookshire, Wallis, Orchard, Cypress, Sealy, Columbus, and all surrounding communities.
