Did you ever think that crooked teeth could negatively affect your health? Teeth that are in the wrong position in your mouth can cause damage to the teeth, the bone and the joint. All those appointments with the hygienist that result in a bloody tidal wave may not necessarily be because you’re not holding that $150 electric toothbrush at exactly a 45-degree angle to the gum line or that you’re not brushing for exactly 2.00 minutes per side. Nor is it necessarily because you don’t have 4 cleanings per year. The position of your teeth governed by many factors outside your control might be a big contributor.

Studies have shown that misaligned teeth, crowded front teeth, tipped molars, ”bucked” front teeth, etc. can affect how many cavities you get, how healthy your gums are and how healthy you are in general.

“How is this possible?” you might say. Let go over a few facts.

1) Crooked teeth don’t have the same self-cleansing ability that teeth in the proper position have. The nooks and crannies that tipped teeth create catch food, leave a nice hidey-hole for bacteria and plaque that cause periodontal disease. That space between the teeth that always get meat uncomfortably stuck can develop a gum problem over time. Even brushing and flossing is affected when the toothbrush gets deflected from a jumble of front teeth or tilted back teeth. Try getting floss through this!

Flossing Challenge!

When it’s tough for your hygienist to clean your teeth, your chances at adequate home care is certainly a challenge.

2) Dry Mouth and Cavities. Its been established that many medications on the market have the side effect of drying people’s mouths. Xerostomia occurs with many heart and cholesterol medications, to name a few. Autoimmune diseases, such as Sjogren’s syndrome, attack the salivary glands resulting in less saliva and lower quality saliva. Saliva is the natural buffer in the mouth that neutralizes the acid secretions from the cavity-causing bacteria. Without the saliva buffer, acid weakens the teeth and the bacteria go wild. The result is an adult who has new cavities at every visit and doesn’t understand why. Straightening teeth improves the cleanability, home care and decreases food impaction and plaque build-up associated with decay and gum disease.

3) Systemic Disease. Mouth bacteria associated with gum disease have been proven to be involved in a greater risk for heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease. Mouth bacteria were recently found in the brain plaques of Alzheimer’s sufferers. Putting teeth in a position more advantageous to hygiene, their proper position in the mouth can improve the ability of older patients to keep their mouths clean and reduce bacterial load between hygiene visits. Reducing bacterial load is key to reducing the risk of systemic diseases tied to periodontal disease.

4) The Anxious Dental Patient. Clear aligners are a comfortable, discrete solution that could aid the fearful dental patient to avoid anxiety-provoking dental treatment in the first place. Clear aligners are easy to wear, easy to use and the results are amazing. Best of all, when your teeth are straight, they’re easier to keep healthy. This means the nervous patient can have less dentistry to tolerate overall.

5) Sleep Apnea. A mouth that is constricted by caved-in teeth can contribute to snoring and sleep apnea. While a sleep study at a medical facility is necessary to fully diagnose sleep apnea, airflow through the airway will be enhanced with teeth uprighted and straightened out of the way.

6) Chipping, Cracking, Wearing away. When teeth meet improperly, they can break. This can be in the form of chipping edges, potholes on the biting surface, notching at the gum line, cracks in the enamel or teeth losing their nice shape. Teeth placed in the correct positioning the mouth support function and use in the best way, distributing forces evenly and protecting the structure, shape, and size of the teeth.

What is the take-home message here? I try to give my patients the best care recommendations, individualized for them. This includes some treatment recommendations that they may not be accustomed to hearing. Beyond the usual check for oral cancer, cavities, gum disease, and joint health, at my office, I let patients know the importance of having their teeth in the proper position for their short-term dental health and their long-term dental and overall health. Straight teeth are easier to clean, trap less food, build up less gooey plaque and tough tartar. This leads to shorter, easier hygiene visits, less decay, and less dental work in the long term. This is a goal we, at Biltmore Innovative Dentistry, share with our patients. I believe the best dentistry is the least dentistry. I want my patients to benefit from my team’s and my knowledge and training to achieve that goal.