What You Can Do to Avoid Tooth Loss
Teeth that are not aligned properly in your mouth create “malocclusion”. Left untreated, malocclusion can lead to periodontal disease as well as create an abnormal amount of stress on the teeth and jaw, which can lead to premature wear.
How Malocclusion Impacts Your Overall Health
In addition, malocclusion can create systemic problems in your body and may affect your overall health. Here’s how periodontal disease begins:
- When teeth are not aligned it is difficult to remove plaque
- Bacteria forms a film underneath the gums, particularly where teeth are misaligned. Gum pockets form, trapping even more bacteria and debris
- Bacteria inflame gum tissues, kill gum tissue cells, and can invade connective tissue and blood vessels
- Your immune system creates white blood cells and proteins to fight the inflammation
- The combination of bacteria, toxins, white blood cells, and acute phase proteins damage the cells that line your coronary arteries, resulting in plaque that can lead to hardening of the arteries in your heart.
Periodontal disease can begin as gum redness or bleeding as you brush or floss your teeth. You may notice persistent halitosis or bad breath. If left untreated, gum inflammation can become worse, leading to soft tissue damage, receding gums , the formation of pockets between teeth and gums, bone loss, and eventually tooth loss.
Learn more about the stages of periodontal disease.
Straightening your teeth may be the first step in making a significant difference to having a healthy mouth and keeping your teeth for life. Properly aligned teeth also reduce the risk of expensive procedures required to repair the effects of abnormal force, such as tooth chipping, breaking, or wear; and can be less stressful on the supporting jaw bone and joints.
Take the first step to having a healthy mouth today. Book your appointment with an AXIS Dental Group Periodontist today.
