There are a variety of issues that bring a patient to an orthodontist, the primary ones being crooked teeth and irregular spacing. Addressing these issues is important, and it’s up to their dentist and/or orthodontist to explain why even before presenting them with options.
Talking about repairing crooked teeth
Not only can crooked teeth make someone less confident in their smile, there are complications related to one’s health as well. Depending on the extent of the issue, crooked teeth can cause:
- An increase in tooth decay
- Damage to gums, including gum disease
- Jaw pain
- Weakened teeth
- Broken teeth
Educating patients about these potential health issues is important. Stressing the pain and discomfort associated with the side effects of crooked teeth, along with the costs of managing them, can help convince a patient to not let this problem linger.
To drive the issue home, tell patients to try flossing between the tightest section of their teeth. When the floss doesn’t go in, tie it back to how the inability to properly care for their teeth, because they’re too close together, is the starting sign for almost all of these other issues.
Discussing spacing issues
Whether it’s a single gap, or many, spacing issues are a clear sign of misalignment in the mouth. Patients may not realize the connection between the gaps in their teeth and other dental issues, so again, it’s best to go over all the potential problems that can arise if these issues get left unchecked. They include:
- Tooth decay
- Gingivitis
- Periodontal disease
- Issues biting, chewing, and even swallowing
- Misaligned teeth
Remind patients that the best way to check for gaps, if you don’t see any, is again, during flossing. If you can fit a standard piece of floss between any two teeth without any resistance at all, you may have a gap. Floss should touch the teeth on either side, at the same time, as it goes in between.
Again, the long-standing issues resulting from gaps in one’s teeth can get painful and costly. Even if it feels like the price tag for orthodontic work is high, it’s almost never as much as the long-term care, which can include extractions, that may occur from ignoring gaps between teeth.
Picking aligners as a solution
After discussing the problems related to crooked teeth and spacing, the next step is to cover solutions. Creating a complete treatment plan often includes braces or aligners. There may be some additional treatments, but the primary results will come from either of these two options.
For patients looking for an easier way to get the orthodontic treatment they need, with fewer trips into the dentist’s office and potentially a quicker time frame toward results, ODO’s vetted process can help. By offering customized aligners, remote appointments, and the tools to track progress from home, ODO helps reduce in-office visits and enables execution of the entire treatment plan by the patient’s dentist.
Through the use of aligners and Dental Monitoring scan boxes, patients execute the majority of their treatment plan from home.
- Darrin had crooked front teeth that were interfering with his smile. He saw results in just nine months.
- Dre used aligners to close the gap between his front teeth, improving his confidence as a sales professional.
- Gunnar had his teeth transformed in 10 months.
- Rhonda’s overcrowded lower teeth were fixed with aligners and she also saw a reduction in gum tissue problems as well.
Your patients are looking for simplicity and convenience – contact ODO today to learn more about how we may support you.
