Are your teeth crooked, overcrowded, chipped, or broken? Maybe you’re considering “fixing” your smile with cosmetic dental procedures? But you might be unsure because you feel that “there’s no real reason to fix my teeth except to look better”. However, there are important reasons to restore your teeth beyond cosmetic ones.
Surprisingly enough, some issues that seem simply cosmetic actually affect your oral health and even the overall health of your body. Dr. Bruce Spink of Spink Dentistry is an experienced dentist in Birmingham AL who can help restore and preserve your smile. Learn more about the important reasons to fix dental problems from Dr. Spink and his team below.
Ensure Your Teeth Wear Evenly
When teeth are misaligned, they will wear unevenly over time and can cause premature tooth decay or pain. A common cause for excessive tooth wear is an uneven bite, usually resulting from overbite, underbite, a jaw injury, crooked or missing teeth, or even an uneven crown or molding fit.
Excessive tooth wear can result in exposure of the dentin — the sensitive layer under your teeth’s enamel — which is more sensitive and decays even faster than regular enamel. If left this happens, a person’s teeth can wear down to their stumps, meaning that bridges, crowns, root canals, implants and even dentures may be necessary to correct the issue.
Reduce Your Risk of Gum Disease
Overcrowded or crooked teeth may indicate deeper problems beneath the gums. Teeth can shift in your mouth, becoming overcrowded if there’s no room for them to go. When this happens, teeth can crack or fracture from the stress. This can be painful and, if left untreated, eventually lead to an infection in the tooth or the roots.
Crooked, chipped, or broken teeth can also be difficult to keep clean. If teeth are not cleaned properly, plaque will form between teeth and along the gum line and bacteria will begin to erode tooth enamel. Also, your gums can pull away from your teeth when they become infected and inflamed which will cause them to be less stable or even to fall out.
Improve Overall Health
Gum disease has been shown to threatening to your overall health by increasing the risk for such ailments as diabetes, heart disease, and even Alzheimer’s. As stated above, an uneven bite, fractured or overcrowded teeth, or even missing teeth can cause gum disease simply due to the fact that they make teeth more difficult to clean. Treating what seems like a cosmetic problem can actually help keep your body healthy.
Improve Your Smile in Birmingham, AL
Dr. Spink is an experienced dentist who offers many different types of conservative, effective treatments to fit your needs. Call 205.235.5043 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with our office today to keep your smile healthy and your confidence high!