Commonly Treated Orthodontic Issues
Facilitating Proper Growth And Alignment Of Your Teeth
At Koch Orthodontics, we have served the local Lawrenceville community for over 10 years now, specializing in a branch of dentistry that corrects the alignment and growth of teeth. With offices in Lawrenceville, Loganville, and Braselton, we welcome patients from all over Gwinnett County and surrounding areas, including Monroe, Snellville, and Grayson.
Every patient and every set of teeth is unique. By assessing the placement and position of your teeth and jaw, we can correct many orthodontic problems. Some of the most common issues that we treat include:
- Open Bite – A form of malocclusion, an open bite occurs when there is a misalignment, causing a gap or space between the front upper and lower teeth. Open bites can be treated with braces or our less invasive Invisalign alternative.
- Overbites – An overbite is the consequence of jaw misalignment. It occurs when the upper set of teeth overlaps the lower set, protruding more than 2 mm. Overbites can be treated with traditional braces. With brackets, wires, and rubber bands, we can smoothly realign the teeth. In rare circumstances, expanders and headgear may be necessary. Our Invisalign technology is another highly preferred option.
- Underbite – An underbite is a condition where the lower teeth stick out further than the upper teeth. It can cause halitosis, chronic mouth breathing, sleep apnea, and speech issues. Luckily, there are many ways to fix it, from using upper jaw expanders to administering reverse-pull face masks. In extreme situations, surgery may be recommended to shorten the lower jaw.
- Crossbite – This condition occurs when the upper teeth bite behind the lower teeth. Although quite similar to an underbite, the unique trait of a crossbite is that it merely impacts a small subset of teeth. Crossbites can cause tooth decay, headaches, sleep apnea, and jaw pain. Crossbites can be treated with retainers, braces, removable palate and upper jaw expanders, headgear, Invisalign, or elastics. In rare cases, surgery may be suggested.
- Misplaced Midline – This is an issue that occurs when there is a clear asymmetry between the two upper and lower front teeth. This can cause chewing problems and be cosmetically unappealing, which can lead to self-esteem issues. To fix misplaced midlines, there are many solutions, including braces and Invisalign paired with other appliances.
- Spacing – If there are conspicuous gaps between your teeth, you may feel self-conscious. Caused by protruding teeth, impacted teeth, small teeth, missing teeth, thumb-sucking, gum conditions, and shifting teeth, spacing can be uncomfortable physically and psychologically.
- Crowding – When you have too many teeth for the space made available by your dental ridge and jaw, they will begin to compete and improperly twist and align. This can be very painful, causing headaches, jaw pain, and even lots of pressure in your neck and shoulders.
- Impacted Teeth – When a permanent tooth is obstructed from emerging through the gums or only partially breaks through, it is considered impacted. In some instances, an impacted tooth may not be discovered or noticed without X-rays. Impacted teeth can cause oral pain, bad breath, and swollen, bleeding gums. They are treated in a few ways. Sometimes, extraction surgery is recommended. Sometimes we may rely on eruption aids, which may include braces, brackets, or extracting baby teeth that are causing the blockage. Sometimes, the best approach is to wait and monitor developments to see if issues arise.