Braces or porcelain crowns for crooked front teeth are both very effective in correcting misalignment. However, each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, doctors often rely on the specific oral condition and needs of the customer to prescribe the most appropriate method.
1. Common types of crooked front teeth
There are 3 common cases of crooked front teeth:
1.1. V-shaped front teeth
In this case, the edge between the two front teeth forms a V shape with a sharp angle pointing towards the inside of the tongue. This is the most common type of crooked front teeth, accounting for 60% of customers’ crooked teeth.
1.2. Teeth growing sideways
The case of teeth growing sideways is rarer than the V-shaped type and greatly affects the customer’s aesthetics. This is a condition where the teeth grow sideways, which can be on the same side or on the opposite side as the other teeth.
1.3. Misaligned teeth
This case occurs when one or both front teeth are tilted in different directions, often causing the neighboring teeth to be pushed along. This leads to misaligned bites and greatly affects the food digestion process.
2. Causes of crooked front teeth
Crossed front teeth are often due to one of the following causes:
2.1. Due to the jaw
Crossed front teeth due to the jaw is the most common reason today. The common cause of this condition is congenital genetic inheritance from parents and grandparents. Apply intervention measures to improve aesthetics and ensure chewing function. At this time, the solution to improve aesthetics and ensure chewing function is to apply dental measures.
2.2. Due to teeth
Another common cause that can be mentioned is that the size of the teeth is too large or too small compared to the jaw, causing the front teeth to be compressed or displaced from their original position.
2.3. Due to bad habits
Some bad habits from childhood that are not improved even when they have developed into permanent teeth such as: sucking on a pacifier for a long time, using the tongue to push teeth, using hands to pull teeth, … will also cause teeth to be misaligned.
3. Do you need to remove the pulp if you have a porcelain crown for a crooked front tooth?
Whether or not you need to remove the pulp if you have a porcelain crown for a crooked front tooth depends on the specific oral condition of the customer. If the tooth is severely decayed, has an exposed pulp,… causing the pulp to become infected, then it is definitely necessary to treat the pulp before being able to cover it with porcelain. On the contrary, if the tooth is still healthy and normal, removing the pulp is not necessary.
In cases where the front teeth are protruding, protruding or misaligned, forcing the doctor to grind the teeth more and potentially affecting the pulp, the doctor will discuss with the patient to remove the pulp before grinding the teeth back to the desired position.
4. Advantages and disadvantages of porcelain crowns for misaligned front teeth
4.1. Advantages
Porcelain crowns for crooked front teeth bring the following benefits:
4.1.1. Enhance aesthetics
Porcelain crowns are designed by dentists to be individually personalized with shapes, sizes and colors that are completely suitable for each customer’s crooked teeth. Therefore, the aesthetic value of porcelain crowns is very high, and can improve the defect of crooked front teeth.
4.1.2. Restoring chewing function
The condition of misaligned teeth is fixed, which means that the phenomenon of misaligned bites that cause difficulty in chewing is also gone. Porcelain teeth have a strength 5 times that of real teeth, so customers can now comfortably eat and drink the foods they love.
4.1.3. Short treatment time
The time for porcelain crowns usually lasts only about 2-3 days if the customer has porcelain crowns for 2 misaligned front teeth. This includes 2 appointments at the dentist and each appointment lasts about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4.2. Disadvantages
However, porcelain crowns for crooked front teeth still have the following disadvantages:
4.2.1. Low lifespan
The lifespan of metal ceramic teeth is usually quite low, only about 5-7 years if properly cared for. In addition, after a period of use, it will also lead to blackening of the gum line due to the oxidation of metal in the oral cavity, affecting both oral health and overall health.
4.2.2. Invasion of real teeth
Above all, the porcelain crown procedure requires the dentist to grind down the real tooth stump to support the porcelain crown attached above. If this process is not performed meticulously and carefully, it is very likely to invade the tooth structure and damage the tooth pulp.
5. Why should you choose braces instead of porcelain crowns when your front teeth are misaligned?
In addition to porcelain crowns, braces are also one of the solutions prescribed by doctors for cases of more severe misalignment of front teeth.
Braces are a method of using the pushing force of orthodontic appliances to help teeth move to the desired position, bringing beautiful, even teeth. This technique offers the following benefits:
5.1. Permanent treatment effect
Due to the nature of braces, which is to impact the jawbone to push the teeth out of the misaligned position, after completing the treatment, the effect will be maintained permanently. Customers will never have to worry about the front teeth being misaligned again. Normally, the time to complete braces is about 1-3 years.
5.2. Maximum preservation of original teeth
When performing braces, the doctor will only place fixed orthodontic appliances on the teeth without affecting the enamel or tooth structure. Therefore, it will avoid the situation where the teeth can be weakened later or in the most serious case, if the teeth are too weak, they will have to be extracted.
5.3. Restore effective chewing function
The chewing process when using this method will be performed by real teeth, so there is no fear of breaking or chipping like porcelain teeth when eating foods that are too hard or too tough.
5.4. There are many options for braces
With the emergence of advanced technology today, the method of braces has developed strongly, bringing many different options for customers to choose from. Each method of braces has its own advantages and disadvantages, suitable for the oral condition, needs and economic conditions of each person. Some orthodontic methods include: metal braces, ceramic braces, lingual braces, Invisalign clear braces, etc.
5.5. Price commensurate with quality
The cost of orthodontic treatment at dental facilities today ranges from 30,000,000 – 110,000,000 VND/1 course of treatment depending on the degree of misalignment of the teeth and the method of orthodontic treatment chosen by the customer. Although the price is not low, the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment is permanent, which is completely worth the money the customer pays.
So, porcelain crowns for misaligned front teeth or orthodontic treatment both bring optimal results after completing the treatment. Depending on each dental case, a specialist will advise the most suitable method for the customer.
