Is Misaligned Midline Normal?
A beautiful smile can have influence. Everyone enjoys a healthy smile. However, some dental issues can affect your smile. Sometimes, even an obscure shift in your front teeth alignment can influence your smile. This shift can also change how you bite and possibly lead to more dental complications later. One such dental problem is a misaligned midline.
What is Midline Misalignment?
The teeth midline is usually the dividing line between the two upper central teeth and the two lower central teeth. Looking in the mirror, the teeth midline should correctly bisect your nose and space between your eyebrows. A teeth midline shift will display some asymmetry, which might be barely noticeable or quite prominent.
Even if the appearance of a midline shift is not a concern for you cosmetically, the physical effects can still be problematic. Proper alignment of all the teeth dictates how your bite will function. Sometimes, a teeth midline shift will affect the jaw, and this discrepancy will cause other dental issues like teeth grinding, or uneven wear that can lead to cavities and cracks.
The Causes of Midline Misalignment
The primary causes of dental midline shift may vary from person to person. A few of the most common reasons for dental midline discrepancies include:
* Missing teeth.
* Oversized teeth (macrodontia).
* Undersized teeth (microdontia).
* Congenitally missing teeth.
* Early loss of baby teeth.
* Jaw misalignment.
* A bad habit (i.e., prolonged thumb-sucking).
* Dental trauma.
Treatments to Correct Midline Misalignment
Although midline misalignment is a common condition, your specific case, or goals, or even budget might differ. There are a various treatments available, and based on your personal requirements, your dentist will suggest one after an evaluation.
* Braces- Braces have been amazingly effective at correcting midline misalignments, also when it is accompanied by a more complex issue like a crossbite. In addition to misaligned midline correction, braces can also improve skeletal realignment when elastics or other specialized appliances are added. The main downside of braces is their obvious visibility because many adults would prefer a less noticeable treatment option.
* Invisalign- Invisalign is another treatment option for correcting misaligned midline shifts. If the deviated midline is accompanied by other bite issues, Invisalign can be used with additional dental appliances to correct the midline misalignment. In fact, this is becoming one of the popular treatments for misaligned midline shift because it is less noticeable than the other options.
* Hyrax expander- A Hyrax expander is also useful to repair a misaligned midline. The expander is fastened to your teeth and positioned on your mouth roof to expand the upper jaw. The expander creates and then holds this position, so the teeth have an opportunity to adjust to this new position. The expander can be worn from three to nine months.
* Extraction- A strategic tooth extraction can also correct the misaligned midline shift. When the space opens up after a tooth is extracted, the neighboring teeth shift to fill the gap. This could be used in combination with other treatments for better results.
After your treatment for misaligned midline shift, you should notice the signs of improvement in the symmetry of your smile. Your dentist might instruct you to continue wearing a retainer to protect your new symmetry. Follow your dentist’s suggestions after you get corrective treatment for your misaligned midline shift.