Should You See An Orthodontist In Long Beach?

The truth about Orthodontic treatments

Orthodontists specialize in straightening crooked teeth. These types of problems are called malocclusions, and they can seriously affect your appearance and the quality of your bite. They can also make you feel self-conscious about your smile and have devastating effects on your overall dental hygiene and health. That’s why it’s important that you investigate your treatment options if you have crooked teeth.

Orthodontic Treatments

Your orthodontist in Long Beach can offer treatments for a range of dental problems and concerns. Some of the most common issues they can fix include:

• Crooked teeth.
• Wide gaps in between your teeth.
• Poor gum or teeth health.
• Bite issues.
• Chewing problems like pain or discomfort.
• Tooth or teeth wear due to grinding or age.
• Speech problems that are caused by dental issues.
• Dental trauma or tooth loss.
• Unattractive teeth or gums.
• Protruding front teeth.

These types of problems can occur as a result of injury or issues that occur during development but aren’t usually linked to any disease or serious health problem.

How Your Orthodontist can Help

Your orthodontist has a range of tools and treatments that can improve the function and the appearance of your gums and teeth. This includes fixed and removeable appliances as well as surgical options. Some of the most common treatments include:

• Fixed Appliances

Fixed appliances such as clear and colored braces, Inbrace, and fixed-space maintainers can be used to straighten crooked teeth. They can also help to fix teeth that grow too far apart, leaving gaps in your smile. These treatments gently encourage teeth to grow in more natural positions and are used for more serious alignment problems.

• Removable devices.

If your teeth are only a little bit out of alignment, then your orthodontist may recommend a removeable device. Some of the most effective devices include aligners, headgear, the invisible and removeable Invisalign appliances, and Palatal expanders, which are placed on the roof of the mouth and encourage the upper jaw to widen.

• Jaw repositioning appliance.

If you have trouble closing your jaw properly, your orthodontist may fit you with a splint or jaw repositioning appliance. These devices are placed in the upper or lower jaw and are also used to help correct temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). This is a disorder which is characterized by pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint.

Should You See an Orthodontist?

Malocclusions don’t usually affect your physical health, so people often avoid fixing their teeth or jaw for as long as possible. It can also be difficult to tell if your dental issue is severe enough to warrant intervention. If you’re questioning whether you should see an orthodontist because of your crooked teeth, here are some common signs that you should:

• Frequent biting of the lips or cheeks.
• Changes in the appearance of your face.
• Speech problems that aren’t related to other disorders.
• Crooked teeth or a misaligned jaw that seem to be getting worse.
• Pain or discomfort when chewing.
• Breathing issues, which often result in mouth breathing.

When you experience these kinds of issues, it’s important that you see an appropriately experienced and trained professional. Not all dentists are also orthodontists, which means that they don’t specialize in these kinds of problems. Orthodontists specialize in the bite and in the alignment of teeth, so make sure you benefit from this when it comes time to align your teeth.

If you’re concerned about the position and appearance of your teeth or jaw, contact your trained and experienced Orthodontist. Whether you live in Lakewood, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach or Signal Hill in California, our staff at Bloom Orthodontics are ready to help.