Having crooked teeth is quite common. However, it does not mean that you have to live with it through out your life. Thanks to advances in dentistry, crooked teeth correction is now possible at any age. The treatment of choice for crooked teeth correction is based on the following factors:
Age of the patient
This is perhaps the most important consideration. For kids and young adults, Braces or Invisible Aligners should be used as the treatment modality. For old people, working people where the patient does not want to wear braces, cosmetic treatment may be considered.
Time factor
For those needing immediate crooked teeth correction, cosmetic dentistry is the solution since orthodontic treatment may need months to a year to achieve the desired results.
Severity of the problem
Mild to moderate corrections can be achieved by cosmetic Dentistry, moderate to severe cases by Orthodontics. However extremely severe cases or cases where jaw alignment is the cause can be corrected by cosmetic surgeries only.
Treatment options
Orthodontics:
It is the most preferred and advised treatment modality since the patient’s own teeth can be moved into a place to achieve the cosmetic results. There is no age for treatment as age is no longer the limiting factor. Ever since the clear aligners became available, this treatment option has gained popularity in the adults. The only drawback is the time required for the treatment.
Cosmetic Dentistry:
Cosmetic dentistry involves bringing the teeth into alignment by using crowns, veneers, bonding and recontouring. This is the preferred modality when very few teeth are misaligned, immediate result are needed or when patient rejects the orthodontic modality. This is not the preferred for children as the teeth might need to be grinded.
Cosmetic Surgery:
This option is limited to cases when abnormality in jaw relation exists which in turn places the teeth in an abnormal relation. In such cases jaw corrective surgery such as Orthognathic surgery needs to be performed to align the teeth properly.