If you have misaligned teeth, you may be tempted to forgo an alignment correction. However, your teeth alignment can affect your ability to do multiple things. Here are a few conditions that are associated with dental misalignment.

Speech Impediments

Words are not formed by the tongue alone. The tongue moves against the bordering teeth to help produce sounds. When the teeth are out of alignment, the sounds produced by the mouth may not be enunciated as they should. 

Problems with pronunciation may be particularly severe if the dental misalignment is present as a person learns to speak. Once the teeth are properly aligned, the correct formation of words may become easier. However, speech therapy may still be necessary.

Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Issues

Problems with the temporomandibular joint may develop when the upper and lower jaws do not meet properly. The misalignment problems may place undue strain on the muscles of the jaw and the components of the temporomandibular joint, which relies on its ball-and-socket-like parts for the smooth opening and closing of the jaws.

An alignment correction can relieve the strain on the jaw joints, eliminating the symptoms of a TMJ disorder.

Chewing Problems

In order to masticate your food properly, the teeth of the upper palate should meet those of the lower palate when the mouth is closed. However, a person with a dental misalignment may experience an under-bite, overbite, or cross-bite. 

An overbite occurs when the front teeth of the top palate are positioned beyond the front teeth of the lower palate. An under-bite, on the other hand, takes place when the front teeth of the lower palate are positioned beyond those of the upper jaw. With a cross-bite, the side teeth of the top and bottom jaws do not meet when the mouth is closed.

The teeth can be aligned using a variety of orthodontic appliances, including conventional braces, lingual braces, clear plastic aligners, and self-ligating braces. Conventional braces straighten the teeth using brackets, elastic ligatures, and an arch wire. Lingual braces utilize the same components to align the teeth, but the brackets are placed on the side of the teeth that is next to the lingual organ, the tongue. Clear plastic aligners re-position the teeth using sets of rigid plastic mouth trays used in a prescribed succession. Self-ligating braces eliminate the need for elastic bands by using specialized brackets that contain holes to hold the arch wire in position.

To have your dental misalignment corrected, schedule a consultation with a dentist in your local area.