You’re never too old for orthodontic treatment. In fact, as people age, they often develop dental issues due to accidents, decay or gum disease. In many cases, these problems lead to missing teeth. If a patient is unable to seek treatment immediately to replace the missing teeth, the neighboring teeth may drift and make the replacement of the missing teeth difficult or impossible by tipping or crowding out the space needed for the teeth. An orthodontist can make a retainer to hold the neighboring teeth in place until the patient can address the situation. This prevention approach will limit the need to actively intervene later with orthodontic appliances to regain space.

If space is lost with time after someone loses a tooth, a general dentist will often call on an orthodontist to recreate the space to ensure a better replacement. The orthodontist will upright neighboring teeth that may have tipped in order to create the room required for successful implant placement. Implants have a required amount of bone on either side of the screw to be healthy.

Uprighting neighboring teeth will also make bridges less likely to fail. When a patient chews, the best situation occurs when the force is directed through the long axis of the tooth. If a tooth is tipped, the long axis sits at an angle. The abutment teeth on the bridge should sit straight for the proper force application. If the tooth is too tipped, the bridge might fail. An orthodontist can upright the teeth to allow for a better bridge abutment.

If you would like more information about dental problems requiring orthodontic coordinated treatment in Sunbury and Galena, Ohio, call Renick Orthodontics at 740-936-5003 today and make an appointment with Dr. Michele Renick.