A confident smile and increased sense of esteem isn't the only benefit of correcting your smile with Invisalign — your oral health can be positively enhanced as well. Learn more about several common issues below that an experienced Invisalign-certified dental practitioner can work with you to correct.

Overly crowded teeth: occur when there is simply a lack of room within your jaw for all of your teeth to fit normally. When left untreated, overly crowded teeth can cause an increased chance of gum disease as your teeth are harder to clean and can prevent the normal function of teeth.

Widely spaced teeth: occur when you have extra space within your jaw. This could be due to small sized teeth, abnormal growth of jaw bones, genetics, missing teeth and/or tongue protrusion. When teeth are missing, this can also be caused by the other teeth shifting due to extra space. Spacing issues can cause some perio-dontal diseases including gingivitis and periodontitis, that, left untreated, can lead to tooth loss.

Crossbite: occur when the upper and lower jaws are both misaligned. It usually causes one or more upper teeth to bite on the inside of the lower teeth, and can happen on both the front and/or the sides of the mouth. This issue can cause wear of the teeth, gum disease and bone loss.

Overbite: occur when the upper teeth overlap significantly over the lower teeth. It's typically caused by either genetics, bad oral habits, or over development of the bone that supports the teeth. This issue can lead to gum problems or irritation, and/or wear on the lower teeth and can cause painful jaw and joint problems.

Underbite: occur when the lower teeth protrude past the front teeth, usually caused by undergrowth of the upper jaw, overgrowth of the lower jaw, or both. It can also be caused by missing upper teeth. This issue can prevent the normal function of front teeth or molars which can lead to tooth wear. It can also cause painful jaw and joint problems.

While it's important that you visit an experienced Invisalign-certified dental practitioner to see how well Invisalign fits your specific needs, you can get a head-start now by taking our self-assessment.

And of course, there are other considerations when making the decision to straighten your teeth. Think about how Invisalign can fit in your life by providing a virtually invisible option to getting the smile you want.