What is Proper Teeth Alignment?
Often, when we think of improper teeth alignment, we picture the type of crooked teeth a set of Invisalign mouth guards or braces can fix.
This can often include gaps and teeth that don’t quite align with each other.
However, that’s just the beginning of teeth misalignment. In fact, some misalignment needs more than braces to fix.
What does alignment mean in oral health?
Alignment is how your teeth fit together when your mouth is closed. Proper teeth alignment is nearly invisible to those who have it, as it just feels — and looks — normal.
However, when your teeth are out of alignment, it’s not only noticeable, but it can also lead to a host of health problems, including:
Excessive tooth wear
Damage to the soft tissues inside the mouth
Increased chance of cavities and infection
How can teeth be misaligned?
A few blog posts back, we looked at the difference between underbites and overbites. These are just two examples of misalignment that can affect your oral health. Let’s take a closer look at a few other misalignments that can affect oral health.
Types of dental misalignments
Crossbite
Typically, your upper teeth meet your lower teeth in such a way that the upper teeth sit on the outer sides of the lower teeth. Instead of meeting seamlessly, a crossbite occurs when either your upper or lower teeth sit ‘inside’ the others.
Posterior crossbite: this happens when your upper teeth sit inside your lower teeth.
Anterior crossbite: the opposite of posterior, this happens when the lower teeth sit inside the upper teeth.
Open Bite
A well-matched bite is when almost all your teeth come together at the same time. However, for those who have an open bite, this is not the case.
Posterior open bite: this happens when your front teeth come together before your back teeth and prevent the back teeth from fully closing
Anterior open bite: this happens when your back teeth meet first and stop your front teeth from meeting together.
Crowding
Often the cause of crooked teeth, crowding occurs when your jaw doesn’t have enough room to fit all your teeth. Crowding is often the reason why many people have their wisdom teeth removed.
Spacing
The opposite of crowding, spacing happens when there is too much room inside the mouth and jaw, which leaves large spaces between your teeth.
Protrusion
Commonly known as ‘buck teeth’ protrusion is when your front set of teeth stick out too far.