Weatherford, TX Orthodontics: Are Braces Right for Me?

For some people, regular visits to the dentist and a good at-home oral hygiene regimen is enough to produce a bright and beautiful smile. However, for others these two practices alone aren’t enough to help them achieve the smile they truly want. For these people, a visit with a dental provider who specializes in Orthodontics in Weatherford, TX, is the key to helping them achieving their best smile.

The most common type of smile enhancement that Orthodontist provide are braces. Braces are a dental appliance that offers improvement to people who have misaligned teeth or crooked teeth. They work by gradually shifting the teeth into a more aligned pattern. Braces are worn over an extended period of time until the teeth are more aligned. The amount of time an individual has to wear braces will depend on the condition of their teeth. Only a dental professional can help you determine if braces are the right solution for you, but here are several things to consider.

Cross Bite – A cross bite is when your upper teeth close on the inside of your lower set of teeth. A cross bite can occur on your front teeth or your side teeth. Generally, this happens when the size of your jaws are not the same.

Open Bite – An open bite is when the front lower and upper teeth do not touch one another when you are performing a normal biting motion. Although it seems like a relatively minor issue, an open bite is a candidate for braces because it can cause airway problems and abnormal swallowing.

Overbite – An overbite is when the upper jaw sticks out too far in front of the lower jaw. This generally happens when the upper jaw is overgrown or there are missing teeth in the lower jaw area. An overbite is sometimes also referred to as an over-jet.

Widely Spaced Teeth – Just as the name suggest this condition occurs when the space between the teeth is larger than normal. Meaning that the width of the teeth is less than the width of the soft tissues and dental bone. This condition can occur if the jaw has overgrown or there are missing teeth.