Fotolia_40549461_XS-300x232 The other day I was asked a couple of interesting questions. The question was: How crooked is too crooked to straighten? Are my teeth too crooked for Invisalign?  And, it made me realize that one thing that is seldom addressed is what makes treatment for braces an easy as opposed to a difficult case to treat. And, what exactly is too difficult to treat or not treatable at all.

The decision to straighten your teeth can be dependent on many reasons, whether it be for purely aesthetic reasons. Or if you are starting to notice damage to your teeth and periodontal health from crowding. And,  in some cases if you can not function correctly due to a severe malocclusion. In any respect the answer to the above question is: no your teeth are never too crooked to straighten. However, some situations may not have enough of a benefit to straightening them so as to outweigh the risks or what the treatment entails in order to straighten them. For the majority of situations to straighten overly crowded teeth orthodontics is completed using methods of expanding the arch, making small spaces between the teeth or removing teeth in order to align them in a more esthetic and function manner. However, in a small percentage of cases orthognathic surgery or surgery of the jaw is performed in order to remedy the malocclusion by changing how your jaw aligns skeletally. In those situations some times the benefits may not outweigh the risks of performing a surgery to align your teeth properly. And, lastly, orthodontics can not be performed in an unhealthy mouth. If you have existing cavities or periodontal disease these are things that should be resolved prior to straightening your teeth. If you are considering orthodontics be sure you meet with your dentist and discuss all the benefits, alternatives and risks of the procedures in order to make an educated decision about how to proceed.]]>