Show #350 Airing Sunday, 7/30/06
Could your unruly teeth benefit from some dental “crowd control”? Overlapping teeth can “crowd” out a beautiful smile. Here to “expand” our knowledge, and protect your smile, is Dr. Steven Marsh.
Question: What causes teeth to crowd?
Answer: There are two main causes of crowding. In young people, crowding occurs when there is not enough space in the arch of jaw to fit the teeth. Teeth either have to be pulled or the arch needs to be expanded. It's as if you are seating 10 people at a dinner table that fits 8. Either the table is crowded, 2 people are pulled, or the table is expanded.
When we get older, our teeth seem to naturally shift toward the center, a midline shift. We are not sure why, chewing and other habits may affect it. It's especially pronounced in the lower teeth.
Question: Is there anything you can do to prevent crowding?
Answer: If you've had braces, it's important to wear your retainer every night, or every other night, for the rest of your life. Your teeth have memories-they tend to move back to where they once were.
Question: How can you fix crowding?
Answer: Orthodontics. This can be done by regular braces or something called Invisiline-a plastic retainer that moves teeth.
Or you can have cosmetic dentistry done. This can range from reshaping the teeth (sanding different corners) to bonding to crowns and veneers.
Question: You've brought some before and after photos. Can you explain what we're seeing?
Answer: In this first example, you can see that the lower teeth are at different lengths and heights. Here we've reshaped the teeth by sanding various edges and then used bonding.
This woman had already had braces and didn't want to go through that again. Crowns and veneers were used to align her upper and lower teeth. Not only does her smile look better, but she says that she chews better too.
Here's an example of the upper teeth shifting on the side. Crowns and veneers were used.
Another example of upper shifting.
Sometimes chewing habits can wear down teeth in a particular way that affect adjacent teeth and cause them to shift.
If your teeth are getting "too close for comfort," loosen up and give Dr. Marsh a call for more information. The number's up next.
