Crooked Teeth

Many people have crooked teeth, and at Dr. Joseph Dallessandro, DDS we want you to understand why crooked teeth and crowding occur along with your treatment options. As your permanent teeth begin to develop, they can start to shift and overlap.

When your mouth is too small for your teeth, crowding can occur and leads to your teeth shifting. In some cases, overbites can form when your upper and lower jaws aren’t the same size, which extends your bottom teeth and jaw outward. While crooked teeth can be hereditary, losing your baby teeth early can also cause misalignment of the jaw and your teeth to shift.

If you have difficulty chewing while eating, you may need a tooth extraction or braces. Crooked teeth can make it difficult to clean your teeth that can lead to cavities and gum disease. For most of our patients, braces are required to fix crowding and crooked teeth.

We encourage our patients with crooked teeth to get braces at a younger age when their mouth is still developing. The younger you get braces, the easier it is for your teeth to be realigned because you are still growing and there is room for your teeth to be adjusted.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

Bite Checks

One of the most important parts of a dental examination is a bite check. Particularly in children, bite checks are a way of monitoring whether a patient is likely to develop misalignments or enamel wear. We at Dr. Joseph Dallessandro’s Midtown dental office hope that if our patients understand why these examinations are important, they’ll be motivated to maintain regular appointments.

For a bite check, we’ll need patients to demonstrate how they close their teeth together. Often in children, new permanent teeth pushing into the gum line push others out of place. The molars, which are mainly used for chewing, come in last, which can cause the front teeth to get jumbled and rub together the wrong way. Adults who have never undergone orthodontic treatment may have this problem, too, and experience pain from temporomandibular joint disorder as a result. For this reason, the bite check also includes a tactile examination of the jaw joints.

It’s never too late for minor orthodontic therapy, and adults frequently get it for cosmetic reasons or to spare slightly overcrowded teeth from grinding. But because children’s jaws are softer, they can receive major corrections. They usually get their first orthodontic assessment when they’re about seven years old, when it is possible to use x-rays to predict the future location of their permanent teeth. We also use x-rays to determine whether adults’ teeth are being displaced by bony growths in the jaw, which are usually benign.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.