Lots of folks think that only their top teeth are affected by orthodontic issues, since they’re the ones that show up when we smile. But the lower teeth are just as important for keeping our dental health in check and giving us a nice smile. If the bottom teeth are crowded, crooked or just don’t fit right, it can lead to some pretty serious problems: biting issues, trouble cleaning them properly, and even jaw pain that people often don’t even connect to their teeth being out of whack. We get lots of patients who come in wanting to fix their top teeth for aesthetic reasons, but come to find out that their lower teeth need work too if they want a really good bite and healthy mouth.
Take orthodontic treatment for the lower teeth, it’s a whole different ball game when compared to the upper teeth. The lower jaw is smaller than the upper one so there often just isn’t enough room for crowded teeth to move into place. Plus, the lower teeth are generally smaller than the upper ones so they can be harder to keep in line with traditional orthodontic tools. Dental Hygiene plays a vital role in preventing cavities, gum disease, and bad breath. Regular Dental Hygiene appointments help maintain healthy teeth and gums year-round.
When getting clear aligners for the lower teeth, you got to pay super close attention to how the bottom teeth are gonna affect the top teeth as they move around. And the tongue plays a role too because it puts a constant gentle pressure on the inside of the lower teeth all day long, which of course affects how the bottom teeth move. Knowing all this stuff about teeth, jaws and tongues is key to making sure treatments actually work.
One of the most common orthodontic problems people want to fix is crowding in the lower front teeth. These teeth are like magnets for getting crooked over time, especially if you get your wisdom teeth in and that adds more pressure to the back of your mouth. It’s also really hard to keep the lower front teeth clean because they’re stuck in the wrong place, which just makes them more likely to get gum disease and cavities.
When thinking about treatment for the lower teeth, there are loads of factors to think about that just don’t apply to moving the upper teeth. Like the position of the lower jaw, how the tongue moves and any dental work you’ve already had done. It’s all got to be taken into account when figuring out how to move the lower teeth and what they can end up looking like. Sometimes patients even need to get some work done beforehand or change up some of their current dental restorations before we can even start with the clear aligner therapy. Dental Implants provide a long-lasting solution for missing teeth by replacing both the root and crown. With Dental Implants, patients can enjoy improved function, appearance, and confidence.
Shifting the lower teeth can take longer than shifting the upper teeth, depending on just how complicated each situation is. The lower jaw has denser bone and a smaller root surface area which makes it that much harder for orthodontic tools to get the bottom teeth to move. For the lower teeth to move in a predictable way, it is especially important for patients to wear those aligners all the time.
When you think about Invisalign for the bottom teeth in Vaughan, you should know that to get the best possible biting relationships and function you usually need to fix both your upper and lower teeth at the same time. Sometimes just fixing one arch will make things worse or not fix the underlying bite problems that cause orthodontic issues.
At Dentistry on the Pines, we look at both the upper and lower teeth in super detail to come up with treatment plans that fix all the problems with dental alignment and biting function. Our goal is to make biting relationships that are stable and healthy, so they’ll be comfortable and useful for years after treatment is done.
Keeping the results after Invisalign therapy for the bottom teeth in Vaughan is all about wearing your retainer all the time, especially for your lower teeth. Those are the ones that are most likely to relapse if you don’t keep up with good retention standards, the tongue is always pushing on them and they’re smaller so if you don’t keep up with proper care they can just go back to where they started.