Women Over 50? Don't Let Your Crowded Teeth Affect Your Life

As you get closer to your 50s, you might notice some unexpected changes in your mouth. Your gums might feel sore at times, or your tongue might feel dry and parched. You may also notice that your teeth look crowded or pushed outward in places. Crowding can affect your appearance and dental health. Here's how teeth crowding occurs and how you can treat it.

What's Teeth Crowding?

Crowding describes teeth that lack space between them. The aging process can weaken your jawbones, which causes your teeth to crowd or change position. Overcrowding allows food to stick between your teeth during meals. If you can't clean between your teeth properly, you experience cavities and inflammation in your gums

Certain dental and health problems can make the movement in your teeth worse, including teeth grinding (bruxism) and osteoporosis. For example, when you grind your teeth, you place great force on them. The force not only weakens and loosens up your teeth, but it also causes teeth to move out of place in their individual sockets. Some adults eventually lose their teeth to bruxism.

Although you can't prevent the aging process from affecting your teeth, you can take steps to protect them.

How Do You Fix Your Teeth?

One of the first steps to protecting your teeth is to see an orthodontic dentist for care. An orthodontist will generally treat your dental problems individually instead of all at once. For instance, if you suffer from bruxism, an orthodontist will want to treat this problem prior to straightening your teeth with braces. Bruxism can keep orthodontic appliances like braces from working as expected.

If your dental problems are caused by other issues, such as diabetes, a dentist will suggest that you see a regular doctor to treat it. Diabetes can cause gum inflammation and bleeding in some adults, which can make wearing braces painful or difficult. It's critical that you bring a condition like diabetes under control before you move forward with your dental treatment. 

After you control, manage, or treat your other dental and health problems, you can receive your braces. An orthodontist prescribes different types of braces to adults, including clear aligners. Aligners are barely noticeable, so they may be good choices for you. You can also remove the appliances at certain times of the day. If you suffer from a condition that affects your muscles and bones, you may benefit from wearing clear aligners.

If you need to learn more about your dental problems and how to solve them, contact an orthodontist near you by visiting professional websites like https://www.kazorthodontics.com.

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