Everyone wants their teeth to look great. But it’s pretty rare to have a perfectly healthy smile by nature since dental problems can occur at different places inside a mouth. Crooked teeth and crowded teeth can make our teeth look bad and damage their condition. These problems can be caused by genetics or accidents. This article can help you if you have crooked top, bottom, front, or back teeth and want to know how to fix them. We’ll talk about what causes crooked teeth first, then how to fix them, and how to keep them from happening.
Causes of Having Crooked Teeth
Both permanent teeth and baby teeth can become crooked, or they may come in crooked. Baby teeth might move into a crooked position as they are too small to fill the gum space allocated to them. There are a few other things also that can cause your teeth to grow wrong and lead to crooked teeth. Some are as follows:
Genetics
Teeth alignment issues are typically passed down from parents to their kids. If the problem of crooked teeth extends in a family from generation to generation, it is likely that the children will have crooked tooth structures as well, even if they practice proper oral hygiene.
Facial Injuries
Teeth can be displaced if you get hurt, like getting hit in the face. Displaced teeth or improper bites may be the result of facial trauma, like a jaw injury sustained as a youngster. The teeth grow in crookedly as a result of the jaw sliding slightly from its initial position.
Tooth Loss
Tooth loss can be caused by diseases like osteoporosis, which weakens the bones that support the teeth, and autoimmune diseases, which stop the body from making saliva. Then, as time goes on, your other teeth will move to fill in the space.
Thumb Sucking
Children who keep sucking their thumbs for a long period of time are more likely to have crooked teeth than adults. The persistent application of pressure from the thumb to the gums that are still in the process of growing leads the teeth to come in crooked, particularly to the side. If this tendency is maintained until the child is a toddler, there is an increased risk of
developing crooked teeth.
Misaligned Teeth
Malocclusion, often known as teeth that are not aligned properly, can occur when either the upper or lower jaw is narrower than it should be. Jaws that are not properly aligned can lead to a variety of dental issues, including overbite and underbite.
When a person has an overbite, their top set of teeth sticks out further than their lower set of teeth, but when a person has an underbite, their lower set of teeth sticks out further than their upper set.
Other Causes
If you lose your baby teeth too soon, your adult teeth might grow at an angle instead of straight. It can also be caused by dental restorations that don’t fit right, such as crowns and fillings. But no matter what the cause of your crooked teeth happens to be, at the end of the day, you should seriously consider visiting a renowned dentist near you to fix the issue as soon as possible.
Issues that Are Caused by Crooked Teeth
Crooked teeth may also result in the following health risks:
- Illness of the gums: Cleaning in between crooked teeth might be challenging. Gum disease, as well as tooth decay, may develop from this. Gum disease often progresses into gingivitis followed by periodontitis, a more severe illness that can harm bones and teeth if it is not treated.
- Digesting and Chewing: Improper chewing caused by crooked teeth may result in digestive issues.
- Excess wear: Cracked teeth, temporomandibular joint disease, jaw strain, and persistent migraines can all come from crooked dentition’s excessive wear and tear on the teeth, gums, and jaw muscles.
- Difficulty Speaking: Speech issues can result from misplaced teeth because they alter how you enunciate sounds.
- Self-esteem: Self-esteem issues and social withdrawal might result from being unhappy with your physical appearance.
Fixing Crooked Teeth
There are many alternatives you may consider with an orthodontist or dentist when you think that straightening your teeth is the only option for you.
If the gums and teeth are able to support the braces, persons of any age can consider getting them. Kids whose gums, as well as bone tissues, are supple and malleable might benefit the most from using braces.
Continue reading to discover the various braces you might select from, along with your surgical possibilities.
- Metal Braces
With the use of bands, brackets, and flexible wire, fixed metal braces are fastened to the teeth. When you are suffering from more complicated teeth alignment problems, these types of braces may be a great option.
Fixed braces may not be enough sometimes, and headgear might be needed. Most people only wear headgear at nighttime.
From their first days, metal braces have advanced significantly. Less metal and smaller brackets are now being used. Additionally, they are cozier than before. You can pick from several colorful rubber bands that will suit you the best.
- Ceramic Braces
Ceramic braces, as well as the archwires that link up them, are tooth-colored or clear, making them less noticeable than metal brackets. This is because metal brackets are typically silver in color.
Ceramic brackets undergo the same process of straightening as metal brackets do; however, ceramic brackets are more likely to become stained and shatter.
- Invisible Braces
Braces that are practically invisible, such as those prepared using Invisalign, are available. Only those in their teen years and older are entitled to wear them.
The aligners are constructed of transparent plastic and tailored to suit your mouth specifically. They need to be taken out twice a month and replaced with new ones, and they fit like a mouthguard over each individual tooth. When teeth need to be moved a significant amount, this treatment approach is not very much recommended.
- Lingual Braces
The side of the teeth that are in contact with the tongue is known as the lingual surface. Another kind of undetectable orthodontic appliance is known as lingual braces. They operate in a manner that is analogous to that of conventional steel braces, with the exception that they are attached to the chewing surfaces of your back teeth.
- Teeth-Straightening Surgery
Another solution for straightening teeth is surgery. They may let you wear braces for a shorter period of time. A modest surgical operation that will realign the bones, as well as gums that are supporting the retention of your teeth, might be suggested by the orthodontist.
Additionally, they might advise a more invasive operation to straighten your jaw. Orthognathic surgery is the term used for this. If the position of your teeth has interfered with your ability to chew or speak, this kind of surgery could be suggested.
- Other Methods
Dental veneers are the most popular alternative to braces for straightening out crooked teeth. While misaligned teeth cannot be fixed without orthodontics, they might be hidden with veneers.
Typically, veneers are only suggested for minor problems such as slightly misaligned teeth. Even though it’s a quick as well as painless approach, it should be remembered that more severe issues, such as malocclusion or serious dental malpositions, require orthodontic therapy to be resolved. The best option for your situation will be determined by the orthodontist.
What to Expect When Visiting a Dentist
It is possible that your general dentist will suggest that you consult a dental specialist known as an orthodontist. Your jaw, mouth, and teeth are going to be inspected, and your bite will be evaluated.
Your orthodontist will be interested in learning about the symptoms, including popping sensations that you hear while opening or closing the mouth, as well as any uncomfortable feelings that you have during chewing at certain times.
Preventing Crooked Teeth
The best way to prevent or completely avoid having crooked teeth is to start to take care of your dental health early. Children between the ages of 5 and 6 should visit the dentist on a regular basis for checkups in order to avoid adult teeth from erupting unevenly. In some instances, the specialist will advise utilizing fixed or removable dental spacers to prevent further crowding and severely misaligned teeth.
The prevention of crooked teeth can also be accomplished using interceptive orthodontics. Paying attention to certain behaviors of the young ones, such as the protracted use of dummies as well as the practice of thumb sucking, is another strategy to avoid the development of crooked teeth.
Final Words
Now that you know what options are available, stop waiting and pick the suitable method for you. Talk with your dentist or orthodontist and discuss what will be best for you to smile brightly with your forgone crooked teeth.