How to Tell If You Need Braces

The orthodontists at Orthodontic Arts in Oklahoma City know how to tell if you need braces to correct misaligned teeth. Braces improve a patient’s smile and allow them to eat and speak properly. Teeth that are out of alignment can also cause a person to bite the inside of their cheeks and other soft structures. Teeth that are out of alignment can even end up cutting your tongue. The enhanced confidence that comes with braces also improves prospects regarding personal relationships and employment and can boost self-esteem. This article explores how to tell if you need braces, whether your child needs braces, and how Orthodontic Arts can help.

How Many People Need Braces?

The overall percentage of people who need braces is about 45 percent, including 50 to 70 percent of American children who need orthodontic treatment. It’s easier to correct a child’s bite, for complications such as missing teeth, dental crowns, veneers, tooth decay, and gum disease arise as a person ages.

How to Tell If You Need Braces

Many people think that a noticeable overbite, where the front upper teeth protrude past the lower teeth, is the main reason for getting braces. However, there are many reasons to get braces besides this particular misalignment. Other signs you may need braces include:

• Open bite: This malocclusion happens when the front bottom or mandibular teeth and front upper or maxillary teeth protrude in the mouth and don’t touch the way they should. It can be caused by thumb sucking or using a pacifier or a condition called temporomandibular joint dysfunction, where there’s chronic jaw pain.
• Gaps between your teeth: You can also correct noticeable gaps between the teeth with orthodontic treatment.
• Teeth don’t touch: Ideally, the upper and lower teeth are supposed to touch each other when the mouth closes. If they don’t, the patient’s teeth are considered misaligned.
• Underbite: This is when the lower front teeth overlap or protrude past the upper front teeth.
• Crossbite: A crossbite happens when the lower and upper teeth are so out of alignment that the upper teeth impinge on the inside of the patient’s lower teeth.
• Crowded teeth: This is the opposite of gaps between the teeth. The teeth appear pushed together and cause each other to become misaligned.

Will You Need Braces After Wisdom Teeth Removal?

In many cases, the human jaw is too short for all of the teeth it needs to hold. The molars that try to erupt often don’t quite succeed and may need to be removed. Can a patient get braces even after their wisdom teeth are removed?

The answer is that a person who wants braces can get them after removing their wisdom teeth, but they need to wait for the surgery to heal. This waiting period is usually between two and six weeks, depending on how complicated the oral surgery is.

How to Tell If You Need Braces for an Overbite. Understanding Treatment Options

An overbite is the second most popular reason that people get braces. Still, not every patient who has an overbite needs them. A slight overbite is perfectly normal, and a bite with perfectly aligned teeth is a little unusual, if desirable. However, the maxillary teeth protruding too much can cause problems. An overbite can even be the result of a problem such as asymmetric jaw growth.

Getting braces for an overbite is important when it comes to children, especially those who have had an early or late loss of baby teeth. An overbite and other dental health problems can cause difficulty pronouncing certain sounds or even affect the ability to smile. Your orthodontist not only knows how to tell if you need braces, but they know how to tell if your child needs braces.

Braces and Orthodontic Treatment

Our orthodontists at Orthodontic Arts know how to tell if you need braces. There are different braces to align both adult teeth and the teeth of children and adolescents. They include:

Metal Braces

These are the traditional braces that many people are familiar with, though technology has allowed them to become less cumbersome than the metal braces of years past. They work through the action of brackets, wires, and sometimes tiny rubber bands. Patients choose these braces because they align the teeth faster than other braces and don’t cost as much. The one drawback is that the patient needs to avoid sticky or crunchy foods and needs to brush and floss their teeth with special care.

Lingual Braces

These braces go on the back of a patient’s teeth, where they are invisible. Lingual braces are slightly more expensive than metal braces, and a skilled orthodontist is needed to install them. The patient also needs to commit to meticulous dental hygiene.

Tooth-Colored Braces

These are braces for patients who don’t want the unsightliness of traditional metal braces or don’t want to commit to the dental care required for lingual braces. Tooth-colored braces are made of ceramic and can mimic the patient’s teeth with great exactitude. However, they’re more expensive than metal braces.

How to Tell If You Need Braces with Orthodontic Arts

Scheduling a consultation with Orthodontic Arts is easy. Call us at (405) 604-3745 or visit our office in Midtown. We are open Monday to Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The skills, training, and experience of our orthodontists at Orthodontic Arts let them know how to tell if you need braces. If you or your loved ones are found to need braces, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Orthodontic Arts, your number one Orthodontist in OKC. Our Certified Orthodontist provides the latest and greatest Orthodontic practices to our clients in the OKC and Midtown area. Orthodontic Arts is the best place for child and teen orthodontics as well as adult orthodontics. Be sure to ask about Invisalign and invisible braces! Contact us today at (405) 604-3745 or request an appointment.