A Misplaced Midline is basically an asymmetry issue where the centre of the two upper front teeth and the two lower front teeth do not align or match. In short, the upper and lower arches should align. Ideally, the midline of the teeth should also align with the centre of the nose or the midpoint between the two eyes. A misplaced midline is also referred to as “Deviated Midline”.
What causes a Misplaced Midline?
- When primary teeth fall prematurely, space is not maintained as the secondary teeth are still evolving and are going to take time to emerge. In the meanwhile, the adjacent tooth might shift slightly giving rise to a misplaced midline.
- When babies exhibit prolonged thumb sucking habits, they might be susceptible to developing misplaced midline.
- When there is an unexpected trauma, the midline can get misplaced if they are not corrected in a timely fashion. The chewing habit, as a result, might develop wrongly giving rise to a misplaced midline.
- When there is a dental disease the tooth can become susceptible, loosen and as a result are shifted from the midline. If this is not attended the tooth in question might become completely damaged and may be extracted in worst case scenario.
- Sometimes misplaced midline can be caused not because of teeth being out of position but because the jaw itself is out of position.
- Sometimes TMJ or Jaw Joint problems can cause misplaced midline.
Problems caused by a Misplaced Midline
It will be surprising to note that this asymmetry could potentially cause problems and they are summarized below.
- The most notable problem that a Misplaced Midline could produce is the impact on a backbite. Since the alignment is not proper, the teeth present in the back may not fit against the corresponding lower teeth and this causes the said bite issue. The rear teeth suffer crossbite. This means that your upper or lower teeth found in the rear side (the second and the third molars) are slanting inwards or outwards from their respective matching teeth.
- The first place where digestion of food begins in the mouth. Mastication (chewing the food) helps in the primary break down of the food. An impacted back bite or cross bite to the rear teeth affects this chewing process.
- Some food needs to be chewed well to get their nutritional benefit. Since misplaced midline can impact the chewing process, it might cause a nutritional deficiency in most individuals.
- Misplaced midline can cause general discomfort during mastication or chewing process. They sometimes can also cause a great deal of discomfort while the patient tries to hold the mouth in a shut position.
- They most certainly cause an asymmetry in your face that may not be aesthetically appealing. An aesthetically appealing look is very much sought after and they definitely give a fillip to your confidence level.
How to correct Misplaced Midline
- Your dentist first studies the accurate length of the misplaced midline (often expressed in mm).
- As a next logical step, the dentist prescribes a Dental Brace. The duration of wearing the Dental Braces depends on the extent of the displacement of the midline.
- After wearing Dental Braces, it is imperative to visit the dentist at regular periods as requested to keep a track on the progress. Once your dentist is satisfied with the movement of the Midline to the perfect position, the removal of Dental Brace is recommended and performed.
- If the misplaced midline is not because of teeth alignment but because of jaw alignment and related problems, then based on the intensity surgical correction of the jaw (jaw surgery) might be required. Even after jaw surgery it may be required to wear dental braces to fix the problem completely. Generally it varies from person to person and your dentist should be in a position to tell you the treatment details and plans.
Treatment for Misplaced Midline at Expert Dental Care
At Expert Dental Care, Dr Sravanthi the top dentist in Chennai treats misplaced midline by first studying the pattern of the bite, and whether the teeth alone are misplaced or even the jaw has moved out of place. Advanced Digital Imagery and other techniques are used to study the teeth alignment and a detailed treatment procedure is worked out and given to the patient to correct and treat the misplaced midline.
As part of the plan, most often dental braces accomplish the task of pushing the teeth to the right position. The bands in the braces are crisscrossed for pulling the teeth to the right alignment. Dr Sravanthi tells us that the more early the misplaced midline is treated, the simpler the treatment procedure gets. Hence correcting misplaced midline in childhood is often the best solution.