If a tooth isn't completely straight, then it can't sit completely flat in your mouth. It might stick out a little at one side. In some cases, it might overlap on to its neighbouring tooth. You might find it hard to clean between the two teeth if this happens.

In some cases, your dentist can shape the tooth to make it look straight and sit flush. For example, contouring techniques remove tiny amounts of enamel to smooth the tooth out and make it look straighter.

While contouring might be enough to fix some minor problems on its own, it is also sometimes used in tandem with bonding treatments. Your dentist may also want to use bonding to smooth or cover contoured areas after straightening the tooth.

As well as protruding, a misaligned tooth can also look recessed. One side of the tooth might be flush with its neighbour; however, the other side of the tooth sits further back than it should.

In this case, your dentist might recommend using bonding to build up the recessed area to make the whole tooth look even. This involves adding a composite material to the front part of the tooth that is out of place.

While the tooth itself doesn't move, the composite bonding effectively fills the recessed gap. The crooked part of the tooth will look like it has moved forward. At the end of the treatment, both sides of the tooth should look straight and level.

While contouring and bonding are simple solutions for some dental misalignments, they won't work on all problems. In some cases, you might have a more significant misalignment on a tooth.

For example, if a tooth is so crooked that it leaves a significant gap at one side, then these treatments won't be much help. You can't contour space; you need a surface to hold bonding securely.

As an alternative, you can look at adding a veneer to the tooth. Here, your dentist removes some of the front of the tooth and sticks a veneer shell on it. They shape or position the shell to make the front of the tooth look straight. They can also make the veneer big enough to cover any unsightly gaps.

Some crooked teeth are simply a bit wonky; others sit at more extreme angles that make cosmetic straightening techniques more difficult if not impossible. For example, if one of your teeth is badly twisted, then contouring, bonding and even veneers might not be able to make it look completely straight.

Sometimes, the best way to fix a severely crooked tooth is to have it crowned. Your dentist will shave down the tooth and then attach a crown to it. The prepared tooth may still be misaligned but it will hold a perfectly straight crown.

Even slightly crooked teeth can make you feel self-conscious and unhappy with your smile. They can also prevent you from keeping your teeth as clean and healthy as you'd like. If you would like to straighten out a misalignment, contact Runcorn Dental. Our dentists can assess your problem and help you find the best way to fix it.