Your Central London dentist says that “your face is the first thing the people look at when they meeting you. Having a beautiful smile improves the way people view you when meeting you for the first time, and also thereafter. If you have irregular teeth, you may be viewed differently by those that do not yet know you.” If your teeth are abnormally aligned, too crowded, spaced, and/or discoloured. Irregular teeth may also cause malocclusion and you may require a specialist (i.e., an orthodontist) to straighten your teeth and help them to bite together properly. Why do these irregularities exist? It may be due to a discrepancy in skeletal jaw size versus tooth size. This may occur because of genetics, not eating an adequate amount of hard foods, or habits such as thumb or finger sucking. Premature loss of baby teeth may cause more crowded teeth. There may be upper to lower jaw size discrepancies. All of these problems can be solved and treated at your Central London Dental Clinic. You should consider correcting these teeth irregularities by the time your child is 12 years old. However, each case is unique and this time may be variable. Treatment for these teeth irregularities can be treated with orthodontics. However, these irregularities can also be treated by reshaping of the teeth, and bonding to close spaces. Besides beautifying your smile, treatment for irregular teeth can help to improve your gingival health, chewing, ability to perform oral hygiene, reduction of dental caries, and reducing the risk of bad breath.

There are a variety of dental procedures that can be used to straighten crooked teeth. The more recent methods can fall within the scope of cosmetic dentistry. A more common method is Invisalign®. Invisalign® teeth straightening consist of a series of sequential clear plastic trays specifically designed for each individual’s teeth and smile. After visiting your London cosmetic dentist or orthodontist, impressions are taken of your mouth, and models are poured in the usual manner. Computerized design and mapping methods are then used to produce a series of trays for the patient. These aligners must be used as prescribed by your London dentist, who will place the first tray. The tray will seem like it does not fit. Be patient, they are designed to fit exactly into the teeth when the teeth are in their next position. The trays will be worn day and night for 2 weeks, only removing them to brush and floss, and to eat. Then the teeth will be allowed to rest, and then the next tray will be placed. The whole procedure takes about a year to complete. Invisalign® cannot be used on partially erupted teeth.