If you’ve been considering braces or other forms of orthodontic treatment, chances are you may have heard of bite alignment. Bite alignment is an important part of any orthodontic treatment plan and it plays a major role in helping to improve your smile and your oral health. Let’s look at how orthodontists in Melbourne treat bite alignment.
What is Bite Alignment?
Bite alignment refers to the relationship between the upper teeth, lower teeth, jawbone, and muscle tissue when the mouth is closed. When your teeth don’t align properly, they can cause problems such as pain in the muscles around the jaw, headaches, and even difficulty speaking or chewing food. In extreme cases, misaligned bites can cause serious dental issues like gum disease and tooth decay.
What Are the Common Bite Alignments That Orthodontics Treat?
There are several different bite orientations that orthodontics can help to realign. The most common types are overbites, underbites, crossbites, and open bites.
- An overbite is when the top row of teeth overlaps with the bottom row and can make it difficult to chew or speak properly.
- An underbite is when the bottom row of teeth overlaps with the top row and can cause jaw pain or suffer from improper alignment.
- Crossbites occur when one side of either top or bottom row of teeth is bigger than the other side, causing misalignment in both rows of teeth.
- Lastly, an open bite is a larger gap between two rows of teeth which may lead to difficulty chewing or trouble to speak clearly.
Fortunately, orthodontist Melbourne offers the best treatments such as braces, retainer usage, etc., and can help fix all these common issues facing our modern-day smiles.
How Does Orthodontic Treatment Help?
Bite alignments can be treated using a variety of orthodontic procedures, such as dental crowns or fillings to correct problematic bites, bridges to replace missing teeth, or dental implants to replace missing teeth.
Additionally, during treatment, bite splints are used to stabilize the jaw and jaw muscles. Using a dental mouth guard or protector, the orthodontist can also protect your teeth.
Numerous malocclusions can be modified or rectified using various orthodontic techniques, moving the teeth into a more ideal position in the jaw and mouth. Dental braces, which are often one of the most popular treatments for terrible bites, can be applied by an orthodontist to help you.
If your teeth are crowded, though, you might have to wait to get braces until one or more teeth are pulled to make room for the other teeth in your mouth. The orthodontist in Melbourne will also use a space maintainer to support a missing tooth in order to stop your teeth from shifting to that location.
You will furthermore have dental exams to determine your suitability for using particular brace technology before your orthodontist recommends any braces. Invisalign treatments, which are quicker and more comfortable to wear than other treatments, may be all that’s needed to correct some mild malocclusions.
Overbites, underbites, crossbites, and other dental irregularities can be treated with traditional braces. Your orthodontist will give you a retainer after treatment is finished, which is typically permanent, removable, or a combination of both. The retainers must be worn by you until your newly positioned teeth are stable.
Other Treatments for Bite Alignment
There are also other treatments available for bite alignment besides traditional braces. For instance, clear aligners are becoming increasingly popular among adults due to their discreetness and convenience. Another option is lingual braces which use brackets that are placed on the backside of your teeth so they’re not visible from the front when you smile or talk.
Additionally, some orthodontists may recommend certain exercises or stretch to help realign your bite if it’s only slightly off-balance. This can be especially helpful for those who want faster results without having to commit to long-term treatments such as braces or aligners.
Conclusion:
Whether you have a slight misalignment issue or something more severe, there are many options available for correcting bite alignment through orthodontics.
Traditional metal braces remain one of the most popular treatments available today but there are also alternative methods like clear aligners and lingual braces if you’re looking for something more discreet and convenient.
Depending on what type of problem needs correcting and how severe it may be, an experienced orthodontist will be able to help determine which type of treatment is best suited for your needs!
