How are Your Dental Arches?

A mouth is like a machine. All its components work together to produce things like sounds, speech, and music. It also helps process fuel by chewing food. The best way for your this machine to work at maximum efficiency is if all the components are properly aligned, cooperating without complication. When your teeth are properly aligned, they create two arches: one on the top of your mouth (the maxilla), and another arch on the bottom of your mouth (the mandible). When you close your mouth, the maxilla rests near the top of the mandible without either applying pressure to the other.

But there are times when your arches don’t take their proper shape — perhaps from developmental issues, genetics, or an exterior influence, like a sports accident or other forms of trauma. The Placerville Dental Group has the expertise to diagnose these issues and to come up with a solution that restores or creates the proper form of arch in both the maxilla and the mandible.

Avoiding Narrow Arches

Narrow arches develop when the muscles, ligaments, and bone in the mouth do not get enough exercise and encouragement to grow correctly. This lack of stimulation commonly results in narrow arches, especially in the maxilla. Narrow arches can often lead to things like bruxism (teeth grinding), sleep apnea, and mouth breathing.

Under normal circumstances, breast feeding and eating healthy provide the oral exercise needed for proper dental development. A positive side effect is that normal development of the arches allows many people to keep their wisdom teeth.

When Things Don’t Go Quite Right

If you don’t have perfect arches, there are dental procedures to help you cope or even improve them.

• Breathing appliances — Our dentist designs a mouth guard to open your airway. This appliance can help with sleep apnea, reducing the need for oral surgery or orthodontic treatment.
• Invisalign — This treatment uses removable, clear plastic aligners to systematically move your teeth into petter positions. They look much like mouthguards and more comfortable than traditional braces.
• Standard Orthodontics — Depending on the circumstances, appliances like braces, palate spreaders or arch expanders are still the best options. These devices stay in your mouth for an extended period, using mild force to adjust your arches to the proper shape.

Your arches are a vital component of your oral health, so it’s important to make sure they develop properly and to get them adjusted if they’re not. Please give the Placerville Dental Group a call or schedule an appointment on our website. Let’s make sure your mouth is working at peak efficiency!