Tooronga Family Dentistry in Glen Iris

Archives for September 2017

How to close gaps between your teeth?

Many people suffer from gaps between their teeth which are called diastemas. These gaps can occur between any two teeth. The most common location  for these gaps is between the front teeth creating an unsightly dark strip .

The main reasons these gaps are formed are:

  1. There is a mismatch between the size of your teeth and the size of the jaws.
  2. One or more teeth are missing.
  3. There is a large frenum( connection between the lip and jaw) that keeps the teeth apart.
  4. There are habits like thumb or dummy sucking.
  5. The way the teeth come together is wrong.
  6. Periodontal disease can loosen the teeth and make them drift.
  7. Unerutped or badly erupted teeth may prevent other teeth from finding their right position.

Treatment options

Although diastemas doesn’t have any adverse health effects it is important to find the reason why they happen. Gaps caused by periodontal disease or habits will have a tendency to grow with time making the condition worse. There are several techniques of closing a diastema, and the use of each one depends on the cause of the problem and the amount of space that has to be closed.

  • Moving the teeth to close the gaps with an orthodontic treatment is many times the best solution. There is nothing better than your own teeth. Moving the teeth to the right location will provide you with a long term natural solution.
  • Placing resin veneers to make the teeth look larger will close the gap. These veneers can be done in one day. Resin veneers will provide a good solution, but may chip or change color over time. The images attached show a beautiful smile Dr. Kaufman created with resin veneers.
  • Crowns or a bridge For large gaps or when teeth are missing .Gap closed
  • Insert an implant. When teeth are missing, one or more implants can be inserted to replace them.

If you have a diastema between your teeth or if you would like more information about it, please ask Dr. Kaufman or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

 

Why mouth breathing is not good for you?

When we are born our instinctive breathing is through the nose. The nose has special features that clean and add humidity to the air to protect the lungs too. But if there are obstructions in our nose, or upper part of the airway we will open our mouth and start breathing thorough it. This his how mouth breathing starts, but if the obstruction does not clear, mouth breathing has many detrimental effects for the mouth and the nose alike.

Since the nose is not functional, it does not develop properly and neither is the upper jaw. This will lead to a sunk in upper jaw with a narrow palate. The lower jaw will hang open to allow the air to pass through, making the muscles weak and elongated.
The tongue plays a large part in influencing the growth of the upper jaw and base of the skull. It should ideally be in contact with the roof of the mouth at rest and during swallowing. But for those breathing through the mouth, the tongue drops to the floor of the mouth and does not make contact with the upper jaw at all. Causing to all children who are habitual mouth-breathers, to have a bad bite.
Mouth breathing should be treated early in life to prevent the changes to the upper and lower jaws from becoming permanent as we mature.
 If you or your child are mouth breathers or have misaligned teeth it is important to have the condition examined as soon as possible.  If you would like more advice about the right position of the teeth , please ask Dr. Kaufman or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

How to fix Tooth cross bite?

What is a cross bite?

When the teeth come together in a normal bite, the upper teeth are a little outside to the lower teeth at the front and back of your mouth. But when the two rows of teeth don’t meet correctly as shown in the image, it is referred to as a cross bite and should be corrected as soon as possible.

When the bite is misaligned there is a risk that your teeth will wear badly and it will be difficult for you to clean them well. This may lead to tooth decay, gum disease and stress on the jaw joint and muscles, which causes headaches and joint, neck, shoulder and back pain.

If the condition persists in a growing child it can lead to the face growing asymmetrically. Causing the child to endure teasing at school and suffer from low self-esteem.

Treatment for the cross bite.

The best time to correct a misaligned bite is when the teeth are growing, but there are treatment options available to adults as well. Since the most common reason for the cross bite is a narrow upper jaw, to solve the condition we will need to guide the teeth to their correct relationship with orthodontic appliances. Here are some examples:

  • Palatal or maxillary expander: Is an orthodontic device that is placed on the upper teeth that gradually widens the upper jaw.
  • Removable expander: A device that can be worn at night to widen the upper palate when only minimal expansion is needed.
  • Surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion: A surgeon conducts a surgical procedure to intentionally break the upper jaw bone to allow a custom-made device to widen the upper jaw.
  • Braces: As a treatment by itself or after palatal expansion, braces straighten and fix the upper and lower teeth to achieve an aligned bite.

If you or your child have  misaligned teeth it is important to have the condition examined as soon as possible.  Left untreated the wrong bite can lead to severe wear of the teeth, problems with the jaw joint, gum disease and decay. If you would like more information about the right position of the teeth , please ask Dr. Kaufman or schedule an appointment for a consultation.