A lot of teenagers absolutely cringe at the thought of having a “tin grin” but at the insistence of their parents they get braces anyway. Of course many teens do not want anything to do with braces as they feel having them will dampen their social life or be a detriment to them engaging in certain sports. There are an equal number of teens that have no aversion to wearing braces as they know exactly what the long term benefits are.
There is no doubt that many teenagers do not have perfect teeth, teeth that their parents hope that they have once they get out into the big wide world. Once the first set of teeth; the baby teeth, fall out and are replaced by the permanent teeth there is often ample evidence that braces are going to be needed.
When the permanent teeth do erupt they often will rotate slightly on their axis, this can be caused by the mouth not being big enough yet to hold all the permanent teeth and they are crowded. If this is the case and it often is, the issues can be corrected by an orthodontist. As teeth often are crooked at this stage of a teen’s life many parents and the teen alike think that straightening the teeth is the only reason for braces. Although this is one of the main reasons for wearing braces it is certainly not the only one.
Many children are born with a malocclusion; this is a condition which many people refer to as a “bad bite.” A malocclusion refers to the jaw being the wrong size to provide for the bite. In the vent the person has a top jaw which is larger than the bottom jaw the result is an over bite. An under bite is the opposite, the person has a larger bottom jaw than top. Even though the teeth are straight and aligned well it is still possible to have a malocclusion.
The solution for all of these problems of course is braces. The orthodontist will explain that a bad bite can interfere with the proper chewing of food which results in problems with digestion. Chewing is the first stage of the digestive process and if the food is not ground up and pulverized properly then digestive problems can follow. Misaligned teeth are also more difficult to maintain, brushing and flossing are significantly more difficult, the result can be cavities and other forms of tooth decay.
Browse the site oakbrookortho.com for more information.
