If your teeth aren’t naturally straight and regular, wearing a dental device can help you correct their appearance or to resolve any health problems that may arise. However, how do you know if a dental tool is really the solution? And what if you realize that you do need a dental device? You will find the answers to these questions in this article.

Look for Teeth that are Crooked or Too Tight

In this case, we speak of malocclusion. Signs of malocclusion are teeth that are skewed, overlapping, or significantly displaced. Too tight teeth are the problem most often treated by the wearing of a dental appliance.

To find out if your teeth are too tight, use dental floss. If dental floss is very difficult to pass between your teeth, it may be that your teeth are too tight against each other.

Understand how Malocclusion Can Affect You

Too tight or poorly planted teeth can make cleaning difficult even for a professional dental hygienist. Plaque build up can cause abnormal enamel wear, cavities and gum problems.

Too tight or badly planted teeth can be due to different things. For example, some people simply have a mouth that is too small to hold all their teeth, forcing the teeth to shift and tighten against each other. Some people experience these discomforts only when they grow their wisdom teeth.

Look for Teeth that are Too Far Apart

Too tight teeth are not the only problem that can be encountered. If you are missing teeth or have your teeth apart, it can also affect your jaw and the alignment of your teeth. The gap between the teeth is simply the problem most frequently treated by wearing a dental appliance.

Examine the Alignment of Your Jaws

When you close your jaw, your teeth are supposed to meet up and down. If you notice too much space between your upper teeth and your lower teeth or if your upper or lower teeth are much larger than the others, you have a problem of alignment of the jaws that can probably be adjusted by wearing a dental appliance.

When the teeth of the top exceed the line of the teeth of the bottom, one speaks about super-occlusion.

When the lower teeth go beyond the line of the upper teeth, it is called under-occlusion.

When the upper teeth are incorrectly positioned towards the inside of the lower teeth, it is called a crossbite. This can lead to facial asymmetry if the problem is not addressed by a dentist which dentist new Westminster readily addresses.