If you have had successful treatment with braces or Invisalign, that’s not the end of the story. It is, of course, important to use your retainer to keep your results looking their best. While a retainer can maintain your smile under most conditions, problems can sometimes develop later to disturb your alignment or send naturally straight teeth crooked.

How Missing Teeth Affect Alignment

For many people, malocclusion is an issue of space. Teeth with too little space have no choice but to crowd together. This is why some patients are required to use devices such as a palate expander to make space, and why wisdom teeth generally need to be removed – most people just don’t have the room. Too much space leaves gaps and has its own problems.

This is the issue with losing a tooth: a missing tooth leaves a gap. Teeth are prone to shift in order to fill this gap, leading to poor alignment and bite. This problem is more advanced with more missing teeth, but even one gap can cause cascading problems.

Treating Missing Teeth

The key to maintaining your alignment is treating your missing tooth promptly. Repairs such as a dental bridge will help hold your teeth in place. A dental implant can replace and replicate the form and function of your natural tooth and is the best for keeping your teeth straight. So long as you ask your dentist about treatment quickly after losing the tooth, you don’t need to worry about permanently ruining your straight smile.

Schedule a Consultation

Patients who do have malocclusion issues because of a lost tooth don’t need to despair. Schedule a consultation with Villanova Dental Studio in Stittsville, ON and ask us about braces or even Invisalign to straighten your smile. To schedule an appointment, contact us online or at (613) 655-9966 today.