If you've recently had your teeth straightened with braces, you may be surprised to learn that your path to a perfect smile isn't over just yet. Misaligned bites can cause damage to teeth that only a dentist can help you to repair. If you're curious about how your smile might be damaged, keep reading to find out.

Why the Bite Does Damage

Your jaw, which supports all of your teeth, is essentially on a hinge. That hinge is set at a certain angle, and your teeth are meant to do all of their biting and grinding within that angle. This means that when your teeth are out of alignment, your bite doesn't just slide forward or backward, but it creates pressure points. Teeth that stick up too high will take more pressure, and teeth that are low won't get enough.

Teeth that experience too much pressure can experience stress-related damage. Small cracks can form in the tooth, enamel can be worn away, and the edges of the tooth can be worn down just from years of your teeth rubbing against each other with more pressure than normal.

Getting the Fix

Once your teeth are damaged, it's up to a dentist to help you. Thankfully, the fix is a relatively simple one: dental fillings.

Dental fillings may invoke images of cavities, but that's not all that they're used for. Fillings can literally fill in teeth that are missing parts or have been worn down over time. They can also be used to strengthen cracked teeth, and they can take the place of dental enamel.

What to Expect

If you visit a cosmetic dentist for fillings, the first thing they'll do is fully examine your teeth and take x-rays of your teeth. This is to ensure that your teeth and gums are healthy and ready to be altered.

Once you've passed a health check, your dentist will locate teeth that have damage. They'll let you know if they can fix them all with fillings, or if something more like a crown is needed. Once you agree to a treatment plan, you can expect your teeth to be repaired in just one visit. Luckily, most damaged teeth don't need to be drilled first, so you don't have to worry about that.

Once your teeth have new fillings, all of your perfectly straight teeth will line up as they should and look pristine. Call a cosmetic dentistry professional to get the final step to your perfect smile completed today.