By Dr. Aastha Chandra

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06 Feb 2023

Why Should Malaligned/ Crooked Teeth Be Treated?

Dealing with crooked teeth can make you feel self-conscious and turn your smile into a frown. When you have an malaligned smile, it’s not just an issue of how you look, but also with how you feel. If you have crooked teeth, you need to be aware that there are a number of other health-related problems this condition can present besides an uneven smile.

The following are some of the problems associated with having malaligned teeth:

1. Prone To Gum Disease

When you have crooked teeth, you’re highly probable to end up with gum disease since it’s much more difficult to clean between your teeth. When plaque builds up in between teeth, it causes harmful bacteria to multiply.

2. Difficult To Keep Teeth Clean

Flossing is hard enough, but with crooked teeth, it’s even more challenging to get it between those tight spaces. The same thing applies to your toothbrush, which means you could have a tough time trying to keep your oral hygiene in check.

3. Difficulty In Chewing

For many people, their teeth are crooked due to a misaligned jaw. When this happens, the upper and lower teeth may protrude, which causes them to rub together and make chewing difficult. If you can’t chew your food thoroughly, you could end up choking or dealing with digestion issues.

4. BAD BREATH

Since crooked teeth tend to harbor bacteria, it’s no surprise that you may end up with some pretty bad breath. It can be hard to get all of that bacteria out from between your teeth, so your breath ends up smelling not-so-pleasant.

5. CROOKED TEETH WEAR OUT FASTER

If your bottom teeth are crowded, one or more of them could protrude and rub against your upper teeth. Even if you don’t have a problem with it now, this issue can cause excess wear of your enamel over time. When the teeth rub together, it slowly wears away the protective enamel, resulting in problems like cavities and even a possible abscess tooth.

If you have a crooked smile, you could end up suffering from TMJ disorders.This highly painful jaw disorder can cause a myriad of painful symptoms like pain in your face, neck, and shoulders as well as frequent jaw popping and locking.

6. FREQUENT HEADACHES

Whether it’s from the pressure on your jaw muscles or your teeth simply rubbing together on a constant basis, crooked teeth can contribute to frequent, painful headaches. You might not realize it, but this condition could be the main cause of your headaches that you probably didn’t know about. Any part of the face that feels pressure or excess strain will cause your head to hurt, so crooked teeth may be the reason why you’re always battling a headache.

7. PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS

Your smile plays a big role in not only how you look, but also how you feel. People with a beautiful smile tend to smile more, which lowers stress and anxiety levels. With a crooked smile, you could have a lower confidence level which can, in turn, cause you to smile less and stress more. Anything that affects your self-esteem in a negative way can have a serious snowball effect on your mental health. Fortunately, there are many treatment options for malaligned teeth such as Dental Veneers, Braces, Invisible Aligners, etc.