Misalignments
"One in three suffers from crooked, irregular or displaced teeth".
ORTHODONTICS for children
Early orthodontic treatment of children prevents serious misalignments. As early as preschool age, teeth and jaws can clearly develop in the wrong direction. Here, the orthodontist can take countermeasures with gentle methods before serious misalignments and complications develop and solidify.
There are a number of indications that parents can use to identify an orthodontic problem that is imminent or has already occurred.
In case of doubt, we always recommend a visit to our practice, where we examine the little patients carefully and with a lot of understanding for children's sensitivities.
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ORTHODONTICS for teenagers
In adolescence, malformations of the teeth and jaw usually become clearly visible. In addition to the possible functional restrictions, pain and secondary diseases, there is also the aesthetic aspect - and this is more important than ever for teenagers today. Beautiful, even rows of teeth are a status symbol and an important attractiveness factor even at a young age. Similarly, asymmetrical facial features, which often occur as a result of malpositions, lead to increased frustration and emotional distress in teenagers.
However, such cosmetic disadvantages are not the only ones that can cause misaligned jaws and teeth. If treatment is left untreated, it can lead to restricted chewing function and chronic pain, but also to speech disorders. Depending on the type of misalignment, the susceptibility to tooth and gum diseases and even tooth loss increases. Ultimately, even infectious diseases and gastrointestinal disorders can result if misalignments are not corrected.
If you suspect a jaw or tooth misalignment, you should make an appointment in our practice as soon as possible. Clues are lack of contact of the front teeth when clenching, crowding of the teeth (which are not spaced but overlapping), a need to press the lips together when swallowing, or a scissor bite/crossbite when clenching. Frequent mouth breathing can also be an orthodontic symptom, as can a conspicuously pointed chin.
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ORTHODONTICS for adults
It is (almost) never too late.
Although orthodontics is more widely associated with young people, it can also provide valuable services to adults. Be it because a jaw or tooth misalignment from previous years was not adequately treated and is causing increasing pain, functional restrictions or aesthetic discomfort. Be it because bone loss in the jaw has led to shifts in the teeth. With the diverse methods of modern orthodontics, we help you - if necessary again - to a physiological chewing function and a radiant smile that you are happy to show.
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Crooked teeth can be disruptive and endanger your health. But what does the orthodontist actually mean when he speaks of crooked teeth ? This diagnosis includes teeth that are not straight together, have not grown evenly in a row, and are therefore in front of or behind the actual bite line. But not every single slightly crooked tooth needs to be treated, or if it is just a slight misalignment that does not represent a medical problem.
The situation is different when the dentist diagnoses a serious tooth misalignment: If the patient can no longer chew, swallow or brush their teeth properly because of large gaps, extremely crooked individual teeth or a jaw that is too narrow, action must be taken. Because such dental adhesions can lead to serious health problems and must be treated.
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Good to know
Very few people were gifted by nature with perfect teeth. In many cases, at least one tooth is slightly crooked, twisted or pushed in front of the neighboring tooth. If it is medically necessary, such misaligned teeth should be treated. Therefore, in Switzerland alone, around 50 percent of children and young people wear fixed or removable braces.
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Why do teeth grow crooked or shift?
Human teeth are changing. The teeth are firmly attached to the jawbone, but they can move. This is especially true when the jaw is still growing, such as in children and adolescents.
However, teeth can also shift if a gap forms as a result of an accident or tooth loss: the neighboring teeth then slowly move in the direction of this bite opening in order to fill it up again. It can happen that the tooth twists a bit and tilts a little to the side. It is then either crooked as a single tooth, but it can also slide in front of or behind another tooth. In most cases, these tooth movements affect the front area of the teeth.
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How do crooked teeth develop in children?
In children and adolescents up to around the age of 13, it is part of the natural growth process that their teeth change: their head gets bigger, their jaw grows, their permanent teeth displace the milk teeth. Therefore, gaps in the teeth are just as normal as teeth that are slightly crooked or of different sizes. Only when the growth of the teeth has progressed a little further can the dentist or orthodontist tell you whether any misalignment that still needs to be corrected medically.
If the child does not brush its teeth thoroughly and regularly, this can lead to permanent dental defects, for example as soon as the milk teeth fall out too early or the dentist has to pull them out. Because the milk teeth are an important placeholder for the growing teeth: If they are missing too early, the permanent teeth often cannot develop properly - they do not find enough space in the too small (milk) tooth gap,grow out of the jaw at an angle and may even take up space for the neighboring teeth.
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Why do adult teeth shift?
In adults, too, tooth migration is mostly due to natural causes: teeth generally tend to move towards the center of the jaw. However, it can happen that the teeth are more or less crooked - in the worst case this leads to crooked teeth.
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Accidents can also lead to visible misaligned teeth.
This applies not only to the tooth that has broken out in a bicycle crash, but also to the adjacent or opposite teeth. If the dentist doesn't fill the gap left by the accident, the teeth to the right and left of the bite opening will do. It can even happen that the tooth opposite this gap grows into it by becoming longer and longer because it lacks the usual counter pressure. Another cause of crooked teeth in adults is regularteeth grinding, the strong pressing together of the upper and lower halves of the teeth as well as pronounced periodontitis: Here the jawbone and gums recede, the tooth is no longer anchored sufficiently and can migrate or tip to the side.
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Is it bad if you have crooked teeth?
A serious misaligned tooth can even impair your health. In particular, dental experts warn about these consequences of crooked teeth: diseases of the mucous membranes and periodontitis, pathology of the temporomandibular joint.
Tooth decay & bad breath
Crooked or overlapping teeth are difficult to clean. Toothbrushes or floss can no longer get everywhere to safely remove bacteria or plaque. The risk of tooth decay and bad breath is increasing
TYPES OF MALFUNCTIONS
The gap position is the name of a tooth position anomaly in which the teeth in the dentition or dentition stand in a gap.
Crowding means that the teeth in the jaw are too close together due to a lack of space.
In overbite, the upper jaw protrudes because it is to long in relation to the lower jaw or the lower jaw is too short
Progeny (reverse overbite) In mandibular prognathism, the chin and lower lip protrude, forming a positive lip step. In oral closure, the anterior teeth of the lower jaw are in front of those of the upper jaw.
