A day is usually not complete without a smile on your face. However, an orthodontic problem such as improper bite alignment (or malocclusion) hinders some people to let their smile shine. This dental problem can prevent you from speaking and chewing properly, causing unusual wear on the enamel. The good news is, specialised in orthodontics in Singapore can help improve your bite, thus boost your self-esteem.
How Specialized Orthodontics Help In Bite Correction
You need orthodontic treatment to straighten your teeth and align your bite. A bad bite can lead to chipped and worn teeth, resulting in the need to have some dental restorations. Incorrect bite alignment can also bring on problems on the jaw such as temporomandibular joint disorder. A dentist who specialised in orthodontics in Singapore can treat jaw conditions like open bite, underbite, overbite, or crossbite. You will soon have the right jaw movement and undamaged teeth.
The Reasons Behind A Poor Bite
The most common dental health problem that requires orthodontic treatment is malocclusion or bad bite. The following are the usual suspects for this oral health issue:
- Not Enough Teeth or Extra Teeth. Often, an individual has teeth that do not protrude or has extra protruded teeth. If you do not have enough teeth or too many of them, this affects your bite. Another reason for an improper bite is a traumatic face injury or premature loss of baby teeth.
- Weak Muscular Functional Habits. Thumb sucking is an example of bad muscular functional habit, which can cause malocclusion. While infants and toddlers usually do this, some adults still like to suck their thumbs or fingers.
- Tongue Thrusting. This can negatively affect the development of the teeth. Some kids tend to thrust their tongue forward and press it forcefully against the lips. This often leads to open bite, teeth protrusion, etc.
- Misaligned Bone and Jaw Structure. Misalignment of the bone structure or jaw can result in malocclusion and poor bite. It can affect how you speak and chew. It also disrupts the functionality of the teeth. Malocclusion can also trigger other oral health issues like teeth grinding and TMJ.
- Small Mouth. If you have a small mouth, your teeth will have a limited amount of space to grow. If this is the case, crowding may occur after the eruption of the permanent teeth.
The Appropriate Age for Braces
Braces are comprised of archwires, brackets, and elastic ties. Typically, you may inherit from your parent’s certain oral health conditions such as malocclusion, crowding, tooth spacing, misalignment, and other related problems. On the other hand, some conditions are due to bad habits like lip wedging, mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, or thumb-sucking.
Children from 8 to 14 years old are recommended to have dental braces as part of their orthodontic treatment. But, adults also suffer from oral health issues, prompting them to need orthodontic treatment. Undergoing this kind of treatment can help them correct problems such as malocclusion, spacing, alignment, and crowding. In addition, you may need maxillofacial surgery or tooth extraction depending on the severity of the poor bite alignment.
