Moving Teeth

Our teeth come with a nasty social habit: They always want to move toward each other. I have been in France and meeting with dentists,  the first thing that I notice about the culture is their amazing lifestyle and their love of life and ability to relax.  Coming from our crazy “Southern California” lifestyle of staying fit, looking beautiful, and defying the aging process–we look beautiful, stay healthy, but sometimes work and stress way too much!  The people of France do not have as much emphasis on othodontics and consequently,  I have seen so many smiles filled with severely crooked teeth.  I have never had so many people stop me and comment on my straight white teeth.  They all want them.  I want their lifestyle so I will stop grinding my teeth so much.  We have amazing orthodontists in Southern California but when we finish our smile straightening we need a way to keep them in their place!  It is not easy when teeth are in a constant state of motion and we grind, clench, and chew on hard things all day long.  As we age the movement gets worse.  I have worn lower braces three times and still can not keep them straight!  Not only is this annoying tendency a real headache for orthodontists and dentists; it is also a major pain for the patient who has already invested time and money in metal appliances and braces. Bad enough, as a teenager, to have to endure braces for the junior prom; to have to go through the whole process all over again, as a grownup, just doesn’t seem fair!

Our teeth like to travel in several different directions:

* First, the teeth in one arch try to move toward the ones in the other arch: Bottoms like to go upward, and tops like to go downward.
* Second, all the teeth like to move toward the front, and, when they do, they crowd the front teeth and wreak havoc on the once beautiful smile.
* Finally, because of the imbalance between two powerful sets of muscles, the teeth on either side like to move inward. When the muscles that close the jaws apply inward pressure on the teeth, then, to balance the pressure, the muscles in the tongue apply outward pressure.

To prevent these natural migrations habits of our teeth, after the straightening process has been completed, orthodontists use different types of retention appliances. They sometimes choose to bond retainer wire to the backside of the lower-front six teeth. Since the lower teeth fit inside the upper teeth, they influence the crowding or flaring of upper teeth and that is why, to prevent overall relapse of the front teeth, it is important to keep the lower-front teeth straight.

Straight teeth are gorgeous and keep you looking young and healthy–so do not let your teeth move into unwanted spots.  Invisalign is a much easier way to avoid wearing unsightly braces, function in you lifestyle, and straighten your teeth.  We have been providing invisalign for our patients since the onset of the brand and have had great success when moving teeth.  It is not always difficult and expensive to get your teeth back to where they should be–contact the office and we can stabilize your smile and prevent future shifting.

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Bright Smiles–Wedding Madness

I was having lunch recently with a good friend who is also a well-known wedding planner, and she was talking about one of the weddings she was planning. I was explaining to her that bleaching your teeth has become like coloring your hair–everyone has standing appointments prior to big events. The conversation got me thinking about the smile menu modern cosmetic dentistry can offer today’s bride—from simple whitening, to filling small imperfections with cosmetic bonding, to straightening, to a complete smile makeover with ultra-thin porcelain veneers. Continue reading →

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