Crowded teeth

[Dora]

Hello

I suffer from low confidence made worst by having crowded teeth that have always meant that I tried not to show my teeth when I smile in front of other people. My teeth are not discoloured or misshaped, they are just crowded especially at the front of my lower jaw.

When I was at school, the dentist sent me to an orthodontist who said that the problem was cosmetic and not serious and my parents decided to leave my teeth as they were. Now I wish I had braces when I was a teenager and had the problem fixed sooner.

I have now decided that I would like my crowded teeth fixed because I am getting married next year and would like to have a perfect smile for my wedding day. Could you tell me if Invisalign could fix crowded teeth and if I would need to have any of my teeth removed to create space.

[Dr Ehsan J. Esfahani]

Dear Dora,

Thank you for your post.

I am sorry to hear you suffer from low confidence which is made worse by having crowded teeth. Let me tell you that 75% of the population have crowded teeth so you are not alone and treatments are available to greatly improve your smile.

Invisalign can correct crowded teeth but the degree of crowding is a factor in the effectiveness of the invisalign braces in doing this. If your teeth are severely crowded then extractions may be necessary and invisalign is not the treatment of choice in such cases. If you have mild or moderately crowded teeth then invisalign is effective and has many advantages over fixed braces.

I would suggest you book a free consultation so we can assess your case and advise you on the treatment options available. For fixes braces you would need to see a orthodontist. Some orthodontists are able to treat severely crowded cases which need extractions with the invisalign system but they are few.