Dental Treatments for Overlapping Teeth
Patients throughout Staten Island count on our practice to offer state-of-the-art dental care for all sorts of problems. That's why we offer advanced general, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry treatments, all focused on enhancing the look and health of your smile.
If you have teeth that overlap, the crowding and spacing issues you face can be serious. Let's consider why overlapping teeth are not ideal and what dentists can do to fix this problem.
Problems Caused by Teeth That Overlap
Overlapping teeth can cause both cosmetic problems and issues with overall dental wellness.
In terms of the aesthetics of your smile, overlapping teeth can cause you to feel excessively self-conscious, leading to reluctance to smile, speak, and laugh, even around people you've known for a long time.
As far as your dental health is concerned, overlapping teeth can make biting and chewing uncomfortable, leading to pain while eating certain foods. Teeth that overlap can also result in teeth grinding (bruxism), and subsequently dental damage that affect the teeth (fractures), your periodontal health (gum recession), and even the health of your jaw joint (TMJ disorders).
Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry Options
When the overlap is minor and causes only aesthetic problems, a dentist may decide to use cosmetic or restorative dentistry procedures to address the issue. A porcelain veneer, for instance, can mask a cosmetic imperfection from view and leave your smile looking absolutely perfect. For more serious overlap that is still cosmetic in nature, a dental crown can be used to help adjust a tooth's shape and cap its underlying structure.
Orthodontic Treatment Options
For most patients who have overlapping teeth, orthodontic care is the ideal treatment option. Braces, palatal expanders, headgear, and other kinds of orthodontic appliances can be used to exert careful pressure and improve the position of the teeth. Spacing issues of all kinds can be addressed.
It's ideal for orthodontic care to be performed on a patient as soon as possible. Adult orthodontics can achieve great results, but tends to take longer than the same sort of orthodontic treatment performed on younger patients. In young patients, their jawbone and teeth tend to be more malleable since they are still growing.
Oral Surgery and Advanced Dentistry
When the overlapping teeth are too serious an issue to address through orthodontic care alone, a more advanced form of treatment may be most ideal. Oral surgery can be performed to better manipulate the structures of the jawbone, the tooth roots, and the palate if needed. Extraction may also be considered. Following oral surgery, orthodontic care can be used to help improve tooth position and enhance overall dental alignment.
Tailoring a Treatment Plan to Your Needs
Customized care is the sure way to enhance dental health and wellness, which is why it's so important that patients stop by the practice for a consultation. During your visit, we can go over all of your treatment options and provide information on what to expect prior to treatment and after treatment. This gives patients realistic expectations about their dental care options, and confidence in whatever decisions they make.
Contact Staten Island Aesthetic & Implant Dentist
For more information about treating issues with teeth that overlap, be sure to contact an experienced dentist and oral surgeon today. Out team will work with you to improve the alignment of your smile and your overall dental health.
