Aligned teeth look great. They can also improve your oral hygiene, as straight teeth are easier to brush, floss, and look after.
Furthermore, oral health is also integral to overall health as well. You can look after yourself better than you ever realized by straightening your teeth and monitoring any alignment changes that occur through the years.
Adults can also experience crowding in their later lives for many reasons. The jaw bone’s density tends to diminish as a person ages. The teeth remain the same size while the jaw they’re sitting in diminishes, which sometimes causes them to crowd and misalign.
Still, try not to worry, as there are many things you can do to stay in control of the situation. We’ve listed some of the better options below.
Stay Away from At-Home Kits
The most obvious way to control teeth alignment is to straighten your teeth. That said, you can’t do this effectively if you’re exploring fruitless or even harmful endeavours. Therefore, it’s best to ensure you’re on the right path first.
Some people have reported problems with at-home teeth straightening kits, initially trying to avoid the need to visit an orthodontist or pay for braces. While there are ways to speed up the tooth alignment processes, it can only be achieved with expert oversight. Try not to get lured into any unrealistic shortcuts for aligning your teeth as you age.
Always see an expert when hoping to realign your teeth. Your oral hygiene is important, and they’re professionally trained healthcare professionals eager to help you. You’ll feel better for having consulted them, so never doubt their expertise or bedside manner. Older folks can sometimes fall victim to scams, so don’t buy or use any products not recommended by expert orthodontists.
Explore Brace Options
There’s more than one way to straighten your teeth. Reputable experts will walk you through everything you need to know.
To find out more about your brace options, consider an expert like ALIGNERCO, who details the pros and cons of ceramic, lingual, metal, and invisible braces on their website. They also discuss veneers, similarly describing how straightened teeth can improve your health and general quality of life. Clear braces are the recommended solution, and more flexible price plans are available to help you cover the costs.
A wider perspective on brace options can help you appreciate clear braces. Some are for time use only while you sleep, conveniently straightening your teeth with minimal effort on your part. Keep learning from those in the know, and stay updated on the latest guidance. That way, you can be confident you’re doing all you can to control the alignment of your teeth as you age.
Wear Your Retainers
Of course, having clear and removable aligners is one thing. Remembering to wear them after you take them out is another entirely.
Ensure you’re only removing your aligners when necessary. It’s valid to do so in some circumstances, such as when you’re eating. If you’re a forgetful older person, leave notes for reminders or set alarms for the same reason. Contact your orthodontist or consult their online resources if you’re unsure when to take them out and leave them in.
Look After Your Oral Health
Looking after your oral health can make your teeth and gums look great. Moreover, these efforts also keep them in place and prevent tooth loss. Missing teeth can soon lead to misaligning your other teeth. They can almost be like dominoes, as some teeth use those next to them for support. While the others won’t be lost immediately, a missing tooth can lead to the misalignment of the rest.
Gum disease and excessive cavities are causes of losing teeth. Ensure you’re using mouthwash and fluoride toothpaste regularly. Visit your dentist for scheduled clean-ups, too. Change your diet so you’re consuming fewer sugary treats and beverages.
People are more likely to lose their teeth as they get older. Still, the situation is far from inevitable. You should still be able to look after them well enough that you don’t lose them, so double down on these efforts forever. Some people slack as they age, so make sure you don’t. Make oral care more fun, if need be, whether it’s by brushing your teeth with someone else or playing some music.
Get Oral Implants
If you’ve been reminded to look after your teeth a little later in life and are too late to do anything about it, you may have lost teeth already. But don’t despair! After all, you still have options.
If you lose teeth for whatever reason, they must be replaced to prevent misalignment. Therefore, it’s worth figuring out how much a dental implant costs and seeing if you can budget to replace the missing tooth. The investment is undoubtedly worthwhile.
Dental implants aren’t just cosmetic additions to your mouth. Every time you chew with one, it stimulates your jawbone. Their installation also restores the root of your missing tooth, giving it purpose again. When that happens, your remaining natural teeth are much less likely to misalign.