If you and your child have started down the path to straighter teeth with braces and your dentist has told you that some teeth are going to have to come out as there isn’t enough room for them, maybe you need a second opinion.

It’s all too easy for dentists to rectify apparent overcrowding in the jaw by removing some teeth and then moving the others back into the mouth until they meet side by side. Sounds like a good solution, but is it really? If you think about what teeth are for, they fulfil three roles. They prepare food for swallowing by mashing it into a paste. They work with the tongue and lips to produce distinct sounds that we form into recognisable words to communicate, and they hold our face in place. That last one might sound a bit far-fetched but ask anyone who has lost their teeth what effect it had on their face and they will tell you that teeth are vital for holding out their cheeks. People with no teeth end up with faces that collapse in on themselves. People with fewer teeth on a smaller bite have faces that are smaller and flatter, when smiles should be full and broad.

A different approach to orthodontics in Erskineville
Here at Healthy Smile Centre, we like to take a more holistic approach to orthodontics in Erskineville, giving you a good strong smile with all your teeth intact and lined up properly. For this we need to make an assessment of more than just your teeth. We also look at your general and oral health and particularly your airways and how you use your mouth and face, to see if we can find out why your teeth have come through crooked to begin with.

We can diagnose abnormalities in the facial structure in children aged as young as three years old and we can diagnose problems with the airways in even younger children. If their airways are not open enough and working well, it will affect how their mouths and faces develop. Early diagnosis can go a long way to ensuring your child has a good broad smile with teeth that are well lined up.