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It’s easy to focus too much on a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing smile in sunny SoCal. While a smile made of perfectly straight teeth looks great, it’s important to recognize that having straight teeth is important to your overall oral health.
At Brightleaf Dental in Santa Monica, California, our office is led by Dr. Nazila Satvat, a board-certified dentist who can advise you on what you need to do to get healthier and straighter teeth.
Teeth can only do their job when there’s an opposing tooth meeting the force. With humans having a bite strength of up to 162 pounds per square inch, crooked teeth create significant imbalance while chewing.
This can mean that:
Most people don’t have perfectly straight teeth and that’s okay. However, severely misaligned teeth can cause various issues that can impact your oral health and overall well-being. Symptoms can range from mild to severe, including:
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, crooked teeth may be the reason.
Crooked and misaligned teeth can be caused by:
Crooked teeth — depending on their orientation — can make it harder for you to maintain proper oral hygiene, which can cause gingivitis or even periodontal disease.
Depending on the severity of your teeth misalignment and your unique situation, Dr. Satvat may advise tooth extraction, orthotics, or teeth straightening using Invisalign® clear aligners, an alternative to traditional metal braces.
At Brightleaf Dental, Dr. Satvat approaches teeth straightening from a gneuromuscular perspective. Gneuromuscular orthodontics combines the principles of gnathology (the study of chewing) and neuromuscular dentistry. With this approach, she monitors how your muscles, joints, and even nerves respond when teeth shift. This holistic approach to dentistry helps treat existing pain and discomfort while minimizing future issues.
If you want to improve your oral health — and your smile — by straightening your teeth, request an appointment online or call the Santa Monica office to set up a consultation with Dr. Satvat.
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