There are many ways people lose teeth, and yet the consequences of not replacing missing teeth may affect the person in many ways.   A person may no longer enjoy many foods, may be self-conscious about their facial appearance, or even suppress laughter for fear of showing their teeth.   

A tooth gap may seem not such a big deal, however teeth can eventually start collapsing into the gap. If the missing tooth is not being replaced, the bone is reabsorbed by the body, also weakening the bone support of the teeth, next to the missing tooth.  This problem unfortunately may add to the loss of other teeth.

The great news, is that there are solutions to replace missing teeth.  Dentists can stop further damage and can fix your oral health. Services to replace missing include dental implants, bridges and even partial dentures.  Having healthier teeth, will help you be happier and allow you to look and feel your best, without any unneeded embarrassment.

• Malocclusion makes it difficult to remove plaque and food particles that are stuck between misaligned teeth. This can lead to redness of the gums and bleeding while brushing your teeth or flossing.

• Over time, the bacteria that breed on the plaque and food particles will enter inside the body through the blood, resulting in bacterial infections and tooth degradation.

• Plaque may also cause bad breath or halitosis, which results in gum inflammations.

• Badly aligned teeth create a lot of pressure on your teeth and jaws. The teeth subjected to unnatural strain can get chipped, and notches in the gum line called ‘abfractions’ can surface.

• Untreated gum inflammation can lead to damage of soft tissue, receding gums, and lead to pocket formation between the teeth and gums, resulting in bone loss.

• Continuous strain can result in poor root support and loosen your teeth, and you may lose one or more teeth as a result.

• In more serious cases, periodontal disease can increase the risk of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.

As you can see, malocclusion is not a problem about aesthetic appeal. It can be a serious dental health problem as well, leading to periodontal disease, dental caries, headaches and tooth pain. Some people have no symptoms at all, while others suffer from several symptoms.

Treatment of malocclusions:
Orthodontic treatment using appliances can help put the teeth back into their normal position slowly and help in teeth straightening. The flip side of wearing appliances is that they decalcify teeth and can result in enamel opacities on the labial surfaces of the teeth. However, wearing dental braces or other appliances is the only way to treat malocclusions and is worth the effort if you maintain proper dental hygiene.

Cross bite is a condition where more than one tooth is positioned outward or inward in relation to the mouth as compared to the corresponding tooth above or below it. The severity of cross bite can vary from mild to extreme. It is a common condition, which is why you need to know some details about it.

Types of cross bite:
• An anterior cross bite, which is the result of negative over jet or prognathism

• A posterior cross bite, which is the result of a narrow maxillary bone and a narrow upper dental arch.

Causes of cross bite:
• Cross bite is commonly caused by the passing down of family traits

• An unusual eruption of permanent teeth or the late falling out of baby teeth may result in cross bite

• Thumb sucking may also trigger cross bite if the habit is left to continue beyond the normal period. This is because the palate width is constricted and upper jawbone gets deformed

• In some unusual cases, breathing through the mouth can result in a defect in the shape of the maxilla, which in turn may affect teeth arrangement

Indications of cross bite:
• You may experience pain in your jaw or teeth while chewing food

• In severe cases, cross bite may trigger inflammations in your jaw joints, which in turn leads to headaches and swelling

• Untreated cross bite can lead to periodontitis and gingivitis and even loss of tooth

• In rare cases, cross bite may intensify and trigger arthritis of the jaw joints

Treatment:
Cross bite cannot be prevented, but it can be detected at an early stage through periodic dental check-ups. An orthodontist can get teeth straightening done for your teeth so as to correct their misalignment.

• If your problem is breathing through the mouth, then you may need to undergo a tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy before you undergo further treatment for the cross bite

• During the initial stage of the treatment, your upper jaw will be expanded using a maxillary expander

• Your doctor may straighten teeth and treat cross bite with the help of braces

The cross bite can be on one or both sides of the mouth, and if you do not get treatment quickly, then the bone may take upon an abnormal position.

Causes of open bite:
• The most common cause of open bite is hereditary

• The habit of thumb sucking may extend beyond normal periods of time in some cases, which increases the risk of open bite later on

• Specific speech disorders like a lisp may not cause open bite, but it can worsen the condition, which leads to further speech impairment
Signs of open bite:

• The most evident sign of open bite is that the inside of the mouth can be seen when the jaws are closed

• It may be difficult, or even impossible, to chew some kinds of food

• Food may not stay in your mouth and may spill out through the opening in front
Complications due to open bite:

• Open bite is known to cause severe speech problems, wh, otherwise your speech will be affected.

• You may experience pain in the temporomandibular joint that can also lead to headaches.

• It may affect the cartilage of the joint and cause wear and tear right up to the bone level. If left untreated, the situation may worsen, and you may require surgery

Treatment:
• Treatment for open bite varies. One method is to make your child wear a certain headgear attached to the upper first molars to control vertical growth of the upper jaw and to enable the lower jaw to move up and forward.

• Bite blocks may be placed between the upper and lower jaws to control the growth of the lower teeth. These blocks are attached to a functional appliance.

• Orthodontic treatment using braces for several months is a common treatment method during the early stages of the condition

• If tongue thrusting behaviour is evident, you may need to wear a functional appliance as well.
The exact treatment of open bite varies according to the patient’s age and severity of the condition.

If you believe that you or your child have this problem, you should consult a dentist as soon as you can.

Crowding of teeth occurs, as the name suggest, is a dental condition where the teeth seem cramped together, which changes the position of teeth. Some teeth are pushed back while other protrude forward. The cosmetic effect of this condition is obvious, but it can also cause several dental conditions. It is usually one of the most common conditions that can be corrected using braces.

Causes of crowding:

Crowding can occur when the baby teeth, which function as space maintainers until permanent teeth surface, are broken or lost at an early stage. Alternatively, it may occur if the teeth or the jaw are abnormally large or small, respectively. Another reason for impacted teeth could be that you have abnormal structures like cysts or supernumerary teeth. Crowding can be indicated by the following signs:

• If the teeth are pushed out, pushed in, rotated, or impacted

• If the wisdom teeth are not able to surface fully due to the lack of space

• Upper canines, which generally have a longer path of eruption, get impacted because there is not enough space available

Treatment:

• The most common method of dealing with impacted teeth is to remove the wisdom teeth.

• Orthodontic treatment using dental braces are also a common form of treatment for crowded teeth

• A dental radiograph can indicate the abnormal eruption path of any tooth, and this can be corrected by pulling out the baby tooth and allowing the tooth to grow in the correct direction.

• If the child has abnormal structures where the tooth gets fused to the bone due to an injury or infection, it is best to remove the baby tooth and allow the permanent tooth to erupt in its place.

• In a simple case of crowding, clear braces are generally recommended. Your dentist may recommend Invisalign braces depending on the seriousness of you case and what you expect from the treatment.

• For severe cases of crowding, the dentist may remove one or more teeth to create space.

Crowding is therefore a simple problem that can be easily rectified in a short time. You can prevent this problem in your children by taking them for dental screening around the age of 7 years, when their top incisors usually surface.

A: First of all, as you get older the illusion that your teeth are longer, are actually the result of receding gums, caused either by gum disease or overbrushing.

If you have swollen or bleeeding gums, it’s a sign of gum disease. If you notice any of these signs, please give us a call back as soon as possible for an appointment. We will discuss the condition of your gum and teeth.

Another issue you will notice is that your teeth will not be as white as they used to when you were younger. It can either be because of a naturally-thinning enamel as the years go on or because of constant exposure to coffee, tea, colas, and staining food. A proffesional tooth whitening is one of the easiest ways to create a younger look and whiter teeth in just 1 visit.

Call us today for more details!

Types of spacing:

There are two types of spacing which you may suffer from: generalized spacing between all teeth, or space between the central incisors in particular. Both types are discussed below.

1. Spaces between all the teeth:
You may have space between all your teeth if you have less than the normal number of teeth since birth. Another cause of this dental condition could be the presence of abnormally large jaws or small teeth, resulting in generalized space between your teeth.
Treatment:
• Dentists generally use composite filings, veneers or orthodontic treatment to treat equal spacing between teeth. The exact method used differs from patient to patient. Orthodontic treatment, in particular, takes longer to work because the teeth may move to the wrong position during the course of treatment. In most cases, retainers are used to treat space between all the teeth.
• Tooth caps are not a treatment per se, but they are helpful in making the tooth appear wider. It is useful in closing the gap between teeth only if the gaps to be treated are small.
• Tooth bonding can be used to make the teeth wider, which closes the gaps in between
• Braces, tooth caps, or orthodontic treatment are used in serious cases as solo treatment. If the case is extreme, a combination of all 3 may be required.

2. Spaces between the central incisors:

Children and teenagers are most affected by this kind of spacing problem. Another reason could be that the second incisor may be malformed and can result in the centrals to move laterally, creating space between them. Regular visits to the dentist can help detect such problems and solve them at an early stage.

Treatment:

Almost every child has a gap between the incisors. In most cases, the game is just 3 mm or less. Such small gaps get filled up on their own once the canines begin to show. On the other hand, treatment may be required if the gap between incisors is greater than 3 mm.

Spacing is generally not a problem, but it can trigger dental problems in some cases. You can never be sure which cases require intervention and which do not, so it is best to visit your dentist as early as possible.

A: Hi Mia, every single tooth in your oral cavity have a purpose. When you’re missing a tooth for a long time, it causes other teeth to shift into the empty space and changes your bite. This causes bone loss, gum disease, jaw pain, cavities, and additional tooth loss.

Please talk to us about replacing your missing teeth. Taking care of your missing teeth early will help you avoid extensive and expensive dentistry in the future.

Call us today for a free consultation at (213)385-9710

Malocclusions are common dental problems that affect almost every person in the world. In most cases, the degree of malocclusion is mild or moderate and hardly requires any intervention. However, some cases of malocclusion can cause a variety of problems in eating, speaking and general health. It is important for you to understand the bearable types of malocclusion from the very serious ones so you can take the right steps to take care of it.

Classification of malocclusions:

Malocclusions are divided into three main types-

Neutroclusion: This is the most common type of malocclusion where the upper teeth is slightly in front of the lower teeth, just like it should be, but the teeth are not properly placed with respect to each other. Common problems related to this kind of malocclusion include spacing, anterior crowding and midline diastema.

Retrognathism or overjet: This kind of malocclusion occurs when the upper teeth are placed in front of the lower teeth by an abnormally large gap. In this case, there can be two variations. The first variation is that the molars at the back of your mouth are well aligned but the front teeth protrude outwards. The second variation is that the upper molars inside the mouth jut outwards greater than the lower molars. This kind of malocclusion is also called overjet. Some also refer to it as overbite, but that is the wrong term. In fact, let’s take a quick look at what overbite is and how it differs from overjet.

Overbite: Overbite is a minor form of malocclusion where only the upper front incisors (the two teeth in front) are placed at an abnormally large distance ahead of the lower front incisors. The difference between overbite and overjet is that the former only deals with 4 teeth, while the latter is a type of malocclusion that deals with the entire jawline.

Prognathism: This kind of malocclusion occurs when the lower teeth jut forward rather than the upper teeth. It is called prognathism, or negative overjet, and generally happens when the lower jaw is larger or protrudes beyond the upper jaw.

Malocclusion can have serious social consequences, especially for small children and teenagers. It is best to get dental braces for them since bones are tender at a young age and malocclusions can be easily corrected in a shorter span of time if treatment is initiated early.

Malocclusions are dental problems that can seriously affect your teeth, jaws and face. For those of you who are not aware, a malocclusion occurs when the teeth and jaws are not positioned properly in the mouth. This results in an improper fitting between the lower and upper teeth, which is called the ‘bite’. The ideal bite should be result in the upper teeth slightly fitting over lower teeth and the molars fitting perfectly with their groves matching.

What Causes Malocclusion?

Malocclusion is basically caused by lost teeth, extra teeth, impacted teeth or teeth with an abnormal shape. These conditions can be triggered by several causes themselves. In fact, the condition is so common that almost everyone in the world has some degree of malocclusion. Here is a look at the some of the most common causes of malocclusion of the teeth.

1. Hereditary- most cases of malocclusion are a result of genes being passed through families

2. Prolonged childhood habits- pacifiers, bottles and thumb sucking are bearable to a certain age, but these habits can cause malocclusion and other health problems if they continue for long. This is the second-largest cause of malocclusion

3. Injuries or accidents- Injuries can break teeth away or change its shape, which can trigger malocclusion.

4. Mouth and jaw tumors, badly fitted braces, crowns, retainers and other dental fillings
You may have to reword the list below as it is copied almost
Effect of malocclusion on teeth

• Badly aligned teeth can be difficult to clean in some cases. If that is the case, then you will not be able to take care of your dental hygiene, which will result in gum disease, tooth decal and other problems.

• The vertical overlap of upper incisors (the two teeth in front) over the lower incisors is called overbite, and severe cases of overbite can cause abnormal tooth wear, speech problems and tongue-thrusting habits

• Malocclusion may trigger temporomadibular joint disorders or migraines in severe cases
Malocclusions can be taken care of rather easily during childhood, adolescent and young adulthood through teeth straightening.

However, a delay in treatment can worsen the effects of malocclusion and extreme treatment procedures, like dental surgery, may be required at later stages.