Malocclusion, or having a crowded or misaligned teeth, can cause a variety of oral health problems. In addition to affecting your smile’s appearance, it can also make your teeth difficult to brush, create speech articulation issues, and even cause tooth sensitivity if not addressed. Here’s a closer look at how.
How Do Crowded or Misaligned Teeth Cause Sensitivity?
When your teeth are crowded or your bite is uneven (malocclusion), the forces from chewing cannot be distributed evenly across your teeth. This can lead to several problems, including:
Premature Enamel Wear
Because some teeth will receive more pressure from chewing than others, their protective enamel layer wears down faster. Once it becomes thin, the inner layer of your tooth, the dentin, becomes exposed, causing hypersensitivity.
Gum Recession
When your teeth are crowded or misaligned, it can place excess pressure on certain teeth and their surrounding gum tissue. With time, this stress, along with plaque buildup due to difficulties keeping crowded teeth, clean can cause your gum tissue to pull away from your teeth, exposing their roots. This can increase sensitivity and further gum and bone loss.
Cleaning Difficulties
Because crowded teeth can easily trap food and plaque particles, this can increase your risk of cavities and gum recession, both of which can also cause and contribute to tooth sensitivity.
Bruxism
Although anyone can grind their teeth (bruxism) people with uneven bites are at a higher risk of developing this condition, which can accelerate enamel wear and make your teeth extremely sensitive.
Buccal Abfraction
This tooth damage appears as a small, wedge-shaped notch near the gumline on the cheek (buccal) side of the tooth. It is thought to occur due to excess biting forces or when an uneven bite causes the tooth to flex slightly, leading to a loss of enamel or dentin at the cervical area, near the gum. This can also cause enamel wear and tooth sensitivity.
What Happens If You Don’t Treat Malocclusion?
If left untreated, with time, misalignment can lead to a variety of oral health problems, including:
- Increased tooth sensitivity.
- Flattened or chipped teeth.
- Cracked enamel.
- Gum recession.
- Jaw pain or headaches.
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
Eventually some teeth may require crowns, root canals, or other restorative treatments to repair.
How to Correct Malocclusion
The good news is that malocclusion and its associated problems can be corrected, but the sooner you seek treatment, the better. Here are some options that your dentist may suggest:
Orthodontic Treatment
Straightening the teeth and correcting the bite is often the most effective way to correct malocclusion. Treatments may include braces or clear aligners like Invisalign, depending on your individual smile and budget.
By properly aligning your bite, this will redistribute your biteforce and reduce abnormal wear on the teeth, creating ideal balance so they last longer.
Night Guards
If your malocclusion causes you to grind your teeth (bruxism), your dentist can create a custom night guard for you to wear to protect your teeth from grinding while you’re asleep.
Sensitivity Treatments
To manage the symptoms of tooth sensitivity, your dentist may recommend one or more of the following:
- Desensitizing toothpaste.
- Fluoride treatments.
- Dental bonding to cover exposed dentin.
- Laser desensitizing treatment.
Restorative Repair
In cases of advanced wear, where teeth are already significantly damaged, your dentist may use dental bonding, veneers, or crowns to rebuild the damaged areas and restore your bite. In some cases, if there are nerves exposed, you may require a root canal before receiving a dental crown.
Remember, crowded or misaligned teeth can lead to uneven pressure, enamel wear, and eventually tooth sensitivity. The most effective long-term solution to malocclusion is correcting the alignment and bite, while repairing any teeth that have already been affected.
About Our Practice
At Advanced Dentistry of Alhambra, our skilled and caring team of dentists want to give you a healthy, beautiful, pain-free smile. If you are suffering from tooth sensitivity due to malocclusion, we’re proud to offer a variety of solutions to help protect your teeth and gums and give you back your gorgeous, pain-free grin. To learn more about your treatment options, schedule a consultation for malocclusion treatment by visiting our website or calling 626-289-6131.