Teeth are vital for proper nutrition, overall health and self-esteem among other aspects. Keeping them healthy takes a lifetime of at-home maintenance and ongoing professional dental care, but sometimes, even those proactive and reactive measures aren’t enough. For many people, Orthodontic Care in Cape Coral Florida must enter the mix as well. The orthodontic field takes over where dentistry leaves off, covering misaligned teeth and jaws, bite issues and other problems not covered under routine dental care. Numerous orthodontic treatments are available to those who need them.
Bite Corrections
Several bite issues may arise, many of which can be caught at a young age with the right type of dental care and corrected by referring the patient to an orthodontic specialist. An overbite occurs when the top teeth are positioned too far forward as compared to the lower teeth. Underbites are defined as the lower teeth sticking out beyond the upper teeth or the upper teeth being positioned too far back. If the upper and lower teeth don’t come together evenly, this is considered a cross bite. With an open bite, the back teeth don’t allow those in front to come together.
Off-Center Midline
For people with teeth centered normally, the upper and lower front teeth come together in perfect harmony, exactly centered with one another. Those with off-center or misplaced mid lines find their front teeth don’t line up as they should. This could cause issues when chewing as well as headaches, jaw pain and other medical problems if not corrected.
Spacing Issues
Some people’s teeth are spaced too far apart, meaning gaps exist between certain teeth. In other cases, teeth may be too crowded. This often comes from having more teeth than the jawbones are able to support and typically results in misaligned teeth as well as difficulties in brushing and flossing correctly. Orthodontic care in Cape Coral Florida can help correct either issue using a number of different methods and devices.
Treatments for these issues can include braces to align teeth properly and devices designed to help retrain the jaw muscles. Space maintainers, palatal expanders and a wide range of other tools may also be used. Contact us to learn more about orthodontic issues and treatments used to correct them or to schedule a consultation.
