Misaligned teeth are more than a cosmetic concern. Without being properly arranged, your teeth may encounter severe functional problems. Most alignment issues are mild, but sometimes misaligned teeth cause critical dental health concerns.
Misalignment: The Classes
Dentists use the following classification system to identify the severity of teeth misalignment.
- Class 1: Your top teeth are overlapping your bottom teeth. This creates a slight overlap when you bite down. This is the most common type of misalignment and the least severe. It most likely won’t lead to any serious dental concerns unless the problem progresses.
- Class 2: You have a serious overbite. Your top teeth severely overlap your bottom jaw and teeth. This type of misalignment should be fixed to prevent oral damage.
- Class 3: You have a severe underbite. This underbite leads to your lower jaw protruding and your bottom teeth overlapping your upper jaw and teeth. This type of misalignment is critical and calls for treatment.
How Does Misalignment Affect Functionality?
Functional misalignment causes other health concerns aside from just crooked teeth.
- Misaligned teeth cause overcrowding, making it difficult for you to properly floss. When you can’t (or don’t) floss, debris and food particles are not properly removed from your mouth. This leads to tooth decay, cavities, gingivitis, and bad breath.
- Crooked teeth cause your jaw, teeth, and oral muscles to strain. This often leads to discomfort and increases your risk of breaking a tooth.
- Overbites and underbites may form or worsen. These are painful, cause headaches, and lead to serious dental concerns.
- Crooked teeth can cause difficulty chewing and problems with speaking. When our teeth aren’t aligned correctly, it causes discomfort and difficulty performing basic tasks. Uneven chewing patterns and mispronunciation are common issues that those with crooked teeth endure.
- Teeth misalignment can lead to snoring and other sleep disorders. Getting proper sleep is crucial, so don’t let your crooked teeth stop you from getting the rest your body needs.
How Does Misalignment Affect My Appearance?
Fixing your smile improves your oral health, but let’s not forget about our appearance! Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you. Whether you’re in an important job meeting or shopping at the grocery store, you want to be able to flash a show-stopping smile. So when your teeth are a bit crooked, it can hinder your confidence and lower your self-esteem.
When we feel more confident in our smiles, we tend to smile more. This doesn’t mean that you’ll just look happier, you’ll feel happier, too! Smiling ignites a chemical reaction in your brain, which increases your dopamine and serotonin levels. This makes us feel better by lowering feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. When you fix your alignment, you’ll be smiling more and feeling superb!
READY TO IMPROVE YOUR SMILE?
Dr. Cirocco and his team understand that having a healthy smile is essential! We use ClearCorrect, an invisible and removable aligner, to fix misalignment. Let our team of specialists give you a reason to smile!
