Can you tell the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy smile on another person? What if the person’s teeth are straight and their gums are in good condition? If you’re like most people, the answer is probably no. When the average person looks at pictures of other people, the superficial qualities of their smiles usually consume our attention. Identifying asymmetry and other dental problems can be tricky, making paying attention to things like warning signs all the more important.
What to Look for
Oftentimes, identifying dental needs isn’t so obvious. Occasionally, dental problems are clear observable things like inflamed gums, stained teeth, or missing teeth but not always. Painless symptoms of a dysfunctional smile are often referred to as quiet issues and are often overlooked.
To start thinking like a dentist and increase your dental IQ, you have to pay attention to things like:
- Asymmetry
- Chipped or worn teeth
- How teeth fit together (bite relation)
- Gum recession
- Bone loss
- Narrow arches and crowding
- Retruded jaw
- Narrow airway
Being able to notice warning signs like these can help you get your children, loved ones, friends, and family to a specialist early and prevent the problem from getting worse.
Behavioral Causes of Asymmetry
One of the most common causes for asymmetry that people can control is teeth grinding. Chronically grinding your teeth can have serious repercussions for the well-being of your teeth. Also known as bruxism, teeth grinding can cause teeth to wear down, crack, chip, or break. Untreated teeth grinding can also cause [link id=’114′ text=’temporomandibular joint disorder‘ esc_html=’false’], migraines, myofascial pain, and tinnitus. Behavioral causes of asymmetry include:
- Teeth grinding
- Poor muscle posturing
- Mouth breathing
- Thumb sucking as a child
Finding the Right Treatment in Fairfax County, VA
Identifying the underlying cause of smile asymmetry and finding the right treatment for you depends on a proactive doctor. Dr. Marzban’s dental practice focuses on state-of-the-art techniques and technologies to provide the best possible care for our patients. For example, our office is one of the only dental offices in the country to be certified in Digital Smile Designs, which allows patients to see how their new smile will look on them before any procedures occur.
Call our office at703-323-8200 or visit our [link id=’50003′ text=’contact page‘ esc_html=’false’] to schedule your appointment.
