You might think of your crooked grin as more aesthetically frustrating than harmful, but the truth is that crooked teeth tend to trap leftover food and other debris, which attracts bacteria. Furthermore, overlapped enamel is harder to brush and floss because not all surfaces are accessible, which increases the likelihood of cavities or gum disease.
Your orthodontist can straighten your smile with traditional braces, but if you only have issues with your upper or lower teeth, you might wonder if it’s possible to treat a single arch. Continue reading to learn more about it!
How Do Braces Work?
Standard orthodontics rely on metallic brackets that are cemented to the front surfaces of your teeth, which are threaded with an archwire. The tension of the latter places gentle, consistent pressure to your teeth to shift them to their ideal places.
This treatment has a long history of success because it allows your orthodontist to periodically adjust the braces or wire to achieve greater torque to move even the most severe tooth alignments. This method can also be used to reposition your jawbone to ensure that your top and bottom teeth come together correctly if you have a malocclusion, or bite misalignment.
Can I Get Braces on Only One Arch?
If you only have problems with a few crooked teeth in either your upper or lower arches, you might wonder if it’s easier and more cost effective to treat a single arch. For example, if your top front teeth have a gap but the others are mostly even, you might only want to shift the problematic pearly whites.
Similarly, twisted or overcrowded bottom teeth can contribute to speech impediments that you might want to address specifically without paying for braces on both rows. Although this is technically possible, it’s not usually recommended.
What are the Risks of Single Arch Treatment?
You might think that addressing issues in one arch or the other could improve our dental health, but in many cases, it makes matters worse. Your tooth and bite alignment work together, meaning that changes to one can cause potentially unexpected shifts in the other.
For instance, if you are struggling with crooked upper teeth and get braces on your top row, you might end up with a more pronounced overbite, significantly increasing the risk of damage and decay. To avoid causing additional concerns, your orthodontist will likely recommend getting braces on both arches so they can safely guide the movement of your smile.
If you still have questions about single-arch orthodontics, your provider can offer more accurate information that takes your unique circumstances into account!
About the Practice
At Wigal Orthodontics of Columbus, you and your family benefit from two experts eager to improve your dental health by addressing dental and bite misalignments. Dr. Wigal and Dr. Kluemper collaborate to provide various orthodontic services, including traditional braces, to people of all ages. Their caring approach is combined with state-of-the-art technology to deliver treatment plans tailored to your unique needs for beautiful, long-lasting results. You can request an appointment on the website or call (614) 495-9002.