Ways to Fix Crowded Teeth

St. Augustine, FL

Crowded teeth, also known as malocclusion, can be an aesthetic problem, especially in the most severe cases in which practically every tooth overlaps another. This can often lead someone to feel self-conscious about their smile, which, in turn, can impact their personal and professional lives.

But teeth that are overlapping or too close together pose significant challenges beyond aesthetics. For instance, they can make it difficult to bite and chew food. They’re also difficult to keep clean because the bristles of a toothbrush can’t reach between the spaces, and floss can barely — if at all — slide between the teeth.

Malocclusion is a common problem, and it’s one that our dentists in St. Augustine can usually easily correct. If you have a problem with overcrowded or crooked teeth, read on for causes and for information on ways to address it.

What causes overcrowding?

Overcrowding is most common in bottom teeth and can have several possible causes. Sometimes genetics play a part: people’s jaws are simply too small for all the teeth the mouth needs to accommodate, or maybe the teeth are too big to properly fit in the available space. Perhaps a baby tooth was pulled early and its permanent replacement was delayed breaking through, or someone had a tooth pulled and it was never replaced.

In such cases, teeth will shift to fill the empty spot. If a permanent tooth comes in later, it has to somehow make room to fit. This leads to teeth shifting and turning, causing them, in many cases, to have to overlap to fit Maybe someone was born with more teeth than they’re supposed to have, a child used a pacifier for too long or, later in life, wisdom teeth erupted and caused crowding.

How to correct it?

Our cosmetic dentists have a few options for straightening teeth and choose their approach based on each individual case. One of the more popular options is orthodontics. But neither teens nor adults seem particularly excited about correcting their overcrowded teeth by wearing traditional metal braces. After all, the metal brackets and wires rub and poke the insides of mouths and require frequent adjustments that leave the mouth sore for days, causing discomfort especially while eating.

Invisalign, on the other hand, is an effective treatment that straightens teeth with noninvasive, customized, clear aligner trays that must be worn about 22 hours a day and can be removed for eating and brushing/flossing. The trays are traded every two weeks for new, smaller trays, pulling teeth into their proper position in half the time of traditional braces.

Invisalign Dentist in St. Augustine, FL

Straightening an overcrowded smile is possible, and the benefits to overall health, including oral health and your self-confidence, are worth the investment. Interested to know more about ways to correct overcrowded teeth? Give our dentists at Palencia Dental a call at 904-664-5254, or reach us online to schedule a consultation today!