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Help, My Teeth Are Moving!

Do my teeth move? Absolutely, they can move anytime in any direction.

With orthodontics, we control how they move. Here are some reasons why they move on their own:

• Function force and wear and tear as we age
• Greater function force when some teeth are lost 
• Bite misalignment - an aligned bite supports proper tooth position. 

Here are some of the consequences:

• Teeth tend to move forward as we age
• Front teeth become crowded, get thinner, chip more easily, become jagged
• Bite becomes even more misaligned, allowing tooth movement
• Loss of teeth and vulnerability to decay

Here are the remedies:

• Monitor teeth and act before problems get serious
• Orthodontics to stabilize teeth to function better
• Crowns, bridges, bonding to repair function and appearance

In our practice, we like to be proactive, advising patients to take care of issues before they require aggressive remedies.

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Unhappy With Your Gummy Smile?  

In some cultures showing a lot of gum when smiling is considered attractive.

If that's not you and you want to fix your gummy smile, in this video the docs talk about the causes and solutions.

What causes a "gummy" smile?

There are many causes of a gummy smile. Most are listed here.

• Teeth are not properly aligned 
• Teeth are too short either from wear or heredity
• Lip is too short
• Lip is hyperactive - moves way above the gum line
• Overgrowth of gum tissue 

 What can you do about it?

Depending on the cause, solutions can be quite serious or simple. These are listed below.

•  For misaligned teeth, orthodontics such as Invisalign can help
• In severe cases, surgical reshaping of the upper jaw can make a dramatic difference
• In severe cases, orthodontics with jaw reshaping surgery may be needed
• In mild cases, reshaping the gums with a laser or a knife can work
• In mild cases, after gum reshaping, veneers or crowns...