How Can Widely Spaced Teeth Impact Your Overall Health

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How Can Widely Spaced Teeth Impact Your Overall Health?

At some point in the past, gaps between teeth were considered trendy. However, these teeth can pose significant health problems, and these can go beyond simple oral conditions. Small gaps, especially between the front incisors, are not real risks to dental health. However, wider gaps should get fixed urgently. Wide gaps usually result from hereditary conditions. The loss of teeth can also lead to the development of large gaps between teeth. Certain diseases and facial traumas might also cause the problem. Fortunately, the problem can easily be fixed by an orthodontist. Here are some health problems that can be caused by wide spaces between teeth:

1. Poor Nutrition

Your overall health is influenced by what you eat. Wide gaps between teeth can affect your ability to chew harder foods such as vegetables. This can make you miss out on essential nutrients.

Widely spaced teeth don’t usually chew well. Incomplete chewing makes you miss out on certain nutrients since the food is not broken down into small enough particles. Your intestines will not be able to absorb nutrients from large food chunks easily.

The saliva in the mouth also contains digestive enzymes such as lingual lipase. If you fail to chew food well enough, you might end up with digestion problems.

2. Gum Diseases

Spaces between teeth make it easier for you to clean your teeth. However, wide spaces only serve to increase the room for bacteria and plaque to grow. Gum diseases will develop soon after. A buildup of plaque will lead to the development of gingivitis, and this will result in periodontal disease.

You might experience bleeding gums, especially when you brush, floss or eat. Gum diseases also cause a generally painful sensation in the mouth. Signs of infection such as pus may also be visible. It might also worsen your breath or make some of your teeth loose. In some cases, the gums may appear to be peeling back from the teeth. They might also be swollen, reddened, and sore when touched.

These conditions are hard to treat, so you should take preventive measures. The treatment for these diseases could be in the form of root planing, curettage, scaling, and hydrogen peroxide mouthwashes.

3. Heart Disease

People with moderate to advanced gum diseases are at a higher risk of developing heart disease. This is because of the spread of bacteria through the bloodstream. These organisms can end up in the heart and attach themselves. Eventually, these bacteria will cause inflammation in the heart, and this will result in diseases like endocarditis. Other heart-related diseases such as clogged arteries and stroke can result from the infection of the heart by oral bacteria.

Gum diseases often go undetected since they don’t always show symptoms. It is important to go for dental checkups regularly even if you feel healthy. Cardiovascular diseases usually develop in people with chronic gum diseases.

4. Cavities

Cavities also result from the accumulation of tartar, plaque, and bacteria in the mouth. Since these are hard to eliminate in people with widely spaced teeth, they will grow and eat the surface of the teeth.

5. Misalignment of the Jaws

Wide spaces can make teeth shift out of place and get misaligned. This will affect your feeding, in addition to your general physical appearance. You may also experience serious pain in the jaw, ear, and forehead. People with misaligned teeth usually have broken sections in the teeth because of hitting too hard on certain surfaces. Chipping of the teeth is not just a cosmetic problem; it can increase your sensitivity to hot and cold foods.

How Can You Correct Widely Spaced Teeth?

An orthodontist can easily correct widely-spaced teeth, even if they have already grown to become crooked and misaligned. Correcting the state of your teeth will prevent the health conditions noted above and give you a beautiful smile. The confidence that comes with a beautiful smile can improve the overall state of your life considerably.

Here are some methods used to correct widely spaced teeth:

  • Braces– This is one of the most commonly used methods of treating widely-spaced teeth. It will take a considerable amount of time for the gap to be reduced, and you will still need to wear a retainer to hold the teeth in place.
  • Invisalign– These are braces that are designed to solve the cosmetic problem associated with wearing traditional braces
  • Dental surgery– In some people, the gaps between teeth are caused by a labia frenum, and this will have to be corrected through dental surgery. Some of the gum tissue will have to be removed, and then your orthodontist can offer other methods of reducing the tooth gaps. There are many forms of surgery that can be used for this purpose, including laser procedures.
  • Veneers– This is a form of cosmetic dentistry that helps to hide the gaps between the teeth. Dental bonding can be used instead of veneers.
  • Dental implants– If your gap is caused by the loss of a tooth, you can go for dental implants or bridges to cover the space.

Other Health Issues

Wide spaces between teeth can lead to many health conditions and may also affect your self-confidence. Some health conditions that are linked to wide spaces between teeth include heart ailments, gum diseases, poor nutrition, poor digestion, cavities and misalignment of the jaws. It is important always to get your teeth checked for gum diseases since the condition leads to the development of many conditions. You should also get the gaps between your teeth reduced to stay healthy.

Call Tisseront Orthodontics Today To Schedule an Appointment

At Tisseront Orthodontics in Reston, Va., you can have an examination from our knowledgeable orthodontist. Dr. Stephen Tisseront provides orthodontic treatments for adults, teenagers, and children with these devices:

• Aligners – designed using Invisalign software
• Braces – metal, ceramic and lingual
• Retainers – to keep teeth in position after orthodontic treatment ends
• Surgical orthodontics – removal of baby or extra teeth

Our patients can have iTero archwires designed at our orthodontic office, and we also offer Acceledent Aura devices to reduce treatment time. Call us today at 703-773-1200 to schedule an examination with Dr. Tisseront in our state-of-the-art orthodontic facility.

Tisseront Orthodontics
11720 Plaza America Drive, Ste. 110 Reston VA 20190-4762

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