Oral piercings of the tongue, lips, and cheeks are growing in popularity, acceptance and considered a way to express ones personality in an art form like tattoos. However, did you know the human bite can be more “toxic” than an animal bite? Keeping this in mind, imagine what could happen to your mouth with oral piercings that collect additional food and debris that breed bacteria and germs while banging against your teeth over 1500 times a day when you swallow.

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A common problem we see every day at Celebrating Smiles Orthodontics is crowding of teeth. This problem is often accompanied by protruding or “buck teeth”. Crowding can give the appearance the teeth are oversized or too big for the size of the jaws. However, this is not always correct. Often, it is not a tooth problem, but because the size of the jaws is too small or narrow to accommodate the teeth.

Throughout the years, orthodontists have approached this issue in different ways. In the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, the most common practice was to remove permanent teeth to make room. Dr. Mark Paciorek recognizes that tooth extractions may not be necessary in many crowded situations. The removal of permanent teeth may result in lack of lip support or reduction of a patient’s profile. While the reduced profile may be acceptable in younger years, the reduction becomes more pronounced with the aging process and less flattering as they grow older. For this reason, correct treatment diagnosis when considering tooth removals is critical to the outcome of a good long term result.Read more on Are Teeth or Jaws the Problem When Teeth are Crowded?…