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