Are Crooked Teeth Hurting Your Oral Hygiene?
Having crooked teeth can make you feel bad about your appearance, but that's not all that they can do. If your teeth are crooked, they may be making your oral hygiene worse and could even be thwarting your efforts to maintain good oral hygiene. This is what you're up against when you have crooked teeth and what you can do to put a stop to it.
Overlapping
One of the problems you likely have is that your teeth are overcrowded somewhere. When teeth push up against each other, it makes it harder to clean between them. Toothbrushes become far less effective, as the bristles can't pass between two teeth that are overlapping. This means that the inside edges of your teeth aren't being cleaned as effectively.
If that weren't enough, overlapped teeth can make flossing far more difficult, which leads some people to not want to do it. If you've had teeth get stuck between your teeth or have had tooth pain after trying to floss, you might be one of them.
Exposed Portion
When a tooth becomes crooked, it effectively tips in one direction. This means that a portion of the tooth that would ordinarily be hidden away under the gums slides out from under the gums. This might not seem like a problem, but it is.
The portion of a tooth that is intended to be exposed to the outside world is limited. This part of the tooth is encapsulated in enamel, which is hard and tough against plaque, bacteria, and tartar, ensuring that the tooth is safe. But the same can't be said of the part of the tooth that's hidden away under your gums. That part doesn't have enamel, so if that part becomes exposed, it can be damaged far more easily. The softer part of a tooth can even be damaged by toothbrush bristles if you brush hard enough.
Getting Help
The good news is, all of these problems can be amended with braces.
Braces come in many styles these days, so you don't have to face the world with a mouthful of metal if you don't want to. Invisible braces, nighttime braces, and even sublingual braces allow you to face the world with your own teeth while still going through the process of straightening them.
Once your teeth are back into their proper alignment, the exposed part of your tooth will be back under the gum line, and you'll be able to brush and floss easily between your teeth. Your oral hygiene will benefit, so what are you waiting for?
To learn more about braces, contact an orthodontist in your area.
