6 Problems Invisalign Corrects
Whether you’re a teen or an adult, people of all ages come to the office of AnnMarie Olson DDS in Austin, Texas, to find out if they qualify for Invisalign. Invisalign is a fantastic match for most of our patients and can lead to a straighter smile, often in a shorter period of time than you can achieve with traditional braces.
Here are some of the most common tooth alignment problems that can be reformed with Invisalign.
Crowded teeth
Crowded teeth are those that overlap, appear twisted, or get pushed in front or behind neighboring teeth. Your smile might look like all your teeth are bunched up together rather than evenly spaced along your jaw.
Dental hygiene can be harder to maintain when you have crowded teeth. It’s hard to get to all the tooth surfaces with your brush, and flossing is sometimes impossible when you have super tight contacts. This means bacteria and plaque have more of a chance to accumulate, and you’re on the road to decay and gum disease.
A customized Invisalign plan helps create normal spacing between crowded teeth, so your smile looks aligned and hygiene is easier.
Underbites and overbites
When your upper teeth overlap your lower front teeth, you have an overbite, and most people have a slight overbite. If an overbite is more pronounced, it can affect your appearance and your dental health, potentially causing uneven wear on your teeth or pain in your jaw.
An underbite is just the opposite problem — your lower front teeth fall in front of your upper teeth, which can affect your ability to chew food properly or to speak clearly.
Invisalign aligners gently shift misaligned teeth back into position for a straighter, more functional bite.
Crossbite
A crossbite means that the teeth in your upper and lower jaw don’t line up. You may have just one misaligned tooth or multiple teeth. A crossbite often leads to tooth damage, a receding gum line, and other gum problems.
Your Invisalign plan shifts teeth into the right position to fix each and every one that is out of alignment and causing problems with your crossbite.
Teeth with gaps
Gapped teeth can cause hygiene problems and dental decay because food can get stuck in the gaps. Plus, gapped teeth can make you self-conscious about your smile. Invisalign can repair most gaps, but if the gap is too large, we may need to recommend other options.
Open bite
An open bite means that your upper and lower teeth don’t meet when you close your mouth. It can give you the appearance that your teeth are sticking out and often develop as a result of thumb sucking or pacifier use, but can also happen in adults who put pencils or other objects between their teeth.
Similar to other alignment problems, an open bite can affect your appearance and can also cause a lisp, interfere with biting or chewing, and lead to cracked back teeth.
Generally crooked teeth
Dr. Olsen can also offer an Invisalign plan to help straighten generally crooked teeth. Crooked teeth develop because there isn’t enough room in the jaw for all the teeth to fit properly.
Sometimes it can be hard to straighten exceptionally crooked teeth or rotated teeth with brackets, because the brackets don’t fit well. Invisalign offers a solution.
If you’d like to find out how Invisalign can help you and want to find out about cosmetic dentistry offerings, call the office of AnnMarie Olson DDS, or use the online tool to request an appointment.
