Having crooked teeth isn’t very rare today, and you’ll find many adults and children enjoying their time with misaligned teeth. Just like those happy with their teeth crowded teeth, you should be one of them and stop worrying about straightening them. You don’t need perfectly aligned teeth to look cool or awesome. What you have is unique to you and is a part of your beautiful smile.
But if you don’t like your crooked teeth, or they make it difficult to speak, you can schedule a consultation with your orthodontist or dentist and discuss your realignment options.
This article will explain the causes of crooked teeth and explore the ways to fix them.
What causes crooked teeth?
Sometimes the teeth of an adult can become crooked, and other times a child may grow crooked baby teeth. The teeth of a baby may become misaligned or crooked due to the absence of enough space in the gums for the teeth to erupt fully.
Thumb or pacifier sucking for prolonged periods can also impact the baby teeth, and they may become crooked or crowded. Genetics and heredity can also impact the teeth in negative ways.
If your child has crooked baby teeth and you’re worried that they will have messed-up teeth when they grow up, this is not always true. The permanent teeth of your child can take proper positions. But one case that can make you anxious is when the primary teeth erupt crowded, they can also make the permanent teeth crowded.
Kids don’t take safety much into account when playing and can take a blow to the face. If dental trauma or cavity causes premature falling of baby teeth, the adult teeth may not emerge straight from the gums but rather a little slanted.
Here are some of the other factors that contribute to crooked teeth.
Jaw size
Nowadays, most of the processed foods we eat are soft and easy to chew compared to the foods that our forefathers used to eat.
Over the years, this has caused our jaw to become smaller. According to the experts, this evolving jaw size may be responsible for making the teeth crooked, crowded or misaligned.
Poor myofunctional habits
Repetitive actions that affect the mouth or face functionality or muscles. The habits include:
- Tongue thrusting
- Breathing from the mouth
- Thumb or pacifier sucking
- Use of bottle
Misalignment of the jaw
Naturally, your top teeth should slightly protrude over the bottom teeth. If your teeth fail to align this way, malocclusion occurs.
Your teeth can be misaligned in two ways, overbite and underbite. In an overbite, the upper front teeth come out a good distance more than the bottom front teeth.
If the problem with your teeth is an underbite, the opposite happens, and the lower front teeth protrude more than the top front teeth. Oral myofunctional disorders can result in malocclusion.
Poor nutrition
Not eating healthy food can keep the teeth deprived of the essential nutrients and minerals that can result in cavities. It can also lead to bad oral development in kids and lead to crooked teeth.
Genetics
If your parents or siblings have crooked, crowded, or misaligned teeth, there are great chances you’ll, too, have these issues. It’s also possible to inherit common misalignments like overbite and underbite.
Dental Trauma
An injury to the mouth or face and pop out the tooth and result in crooked teeth.
Poor oral hygiene routine
Missing regular dental checkups by your dentist can make any lingering issue such as tooth decay or periodontal disease go unnoticed. The result can be crooked teeth and related oral issues.
What are the problems caused by crooked teeth?
Sometimes crooked teeth can prove to be really bad for you, and they can affect your daily life. For instance, crowded or misaligned teeth can hit your chewing ability, and you may experience pain and discomfort while eating.
For some people, things can get even worse. They start feeling embarrassed due to crooked teeth and avoid smiling or attending social gatherings.
Crooked teeth can also cause many other health problems, including:
- Gum disease: Crooked teeth can make it difficult to clean the plaque, bacteria, and food debris from your teeth. This can cause gum disease and cavities. Without treatment, gum disease can lead to even more severe condition periodontal disease that is harmful to your teeth and bones.
- Excess wear. Crooked teeth can exert unnecessary pressure and damage to your teeth and jaws, giving you chronic headaches, cracked teeth, strained jaw, and TMJ disorder.
- Speech difficulties. Misaligned teeth can affect your speech by impacting the way you make up sound.
What options do I have to fix my crooked teeth?
Are you satisfied that straightening the crooked teeth is the best option for you? If yes, there are many ways to correct misaligned or crooked teeth.
Braces are a great option to fix crooked front or bottom teeth and work well for both kids and adults. The only condition that must be true is to have strong teeth and gums to hold the braces. Braces can be a really good way of straightening for children as their bone tissues and gums are very flexible.
Treatment for fixing crooked, crowded, or misaligned teeth with braces can last for 2-3 years and depends on the types of braces and the severity of the issue.
Another option that takes less time to give you a straighter smile is teeth-straightening surgery.
Keep reading to learn about the types of braces that you can have and more about tooth straightening surgery.
Metal braces to fix crooked teeth
The orthodontist attaches fixed metal braces to the teeth using bands, brackets, and a wire. This is a good option for people having severe alignment disorders. To correct crooked teeth, you may have to additionally wear headgear that is mostly only required at night.
As compared to the past, the braces nowadays are very comfortable and use small brackets. You can choose among several colors for rubber bands that go well with your style.
Ceramic braces
Another way to fix your crooked teeth without letting others notice the treatment is wearing ceramic braces.
The best thing about these braces is that they are not much visible like traditional metal braces. The archwires used are clear or come in a similar color to the tooth.
These braces work in the same way to straighten the teeth like metal ones but are more prone to breakage and staining. They are also a little more expensive, and the cost depends on your area, issue, and insurance.
Invisible braces
Correction of crooked teeth in a total invisible manner is possible with Invisalign aligners. These clear aligners are designed to perfectly fit your mouth and give you a straighter smile that you’ll love to wear. Invisalign fit over the individual tooth, and your dentist will remove and replace them for atleast twice a month.
However, here are some things that you should note:
- These braces can only be worn by young individuals and adults.
- They aren’t good for correcting severe tooth misalignment.
Lingual braces
Another type of invisible braces is lingual braces. They are not very different from metal braces, and the only difference is that they get placed on your teeth’ backside.
But lingual braces aren’t a good choice for everyone. This is because they are costly, and it’s really a job to clean them. They don’t work well for severe misalignment and crooked teeth. This choice is hard to wear and can take longer to give you the desired results.
Teeth-straightening surgery
Teeth straightening surgery to correct crooked teeth is another option to explore. The surgical procedure can minimize the amount of time required to wear braces.
During the surgery, there can be a minor repositioning of your bones and gums that keep your teeth intact.
Your orthodontist can also recommend an in-depth procedure to realign your jaw. This procedure is usually recommended if crooked teeth have disturbed your ability to speak or chew.
The cost of the procedure depends on the type of surgery, locality, and insurance coverage.
Should I see a dentist or orthodontist?
For fixing the crooked or misaligned teeth, your dentist may recommend seeing an orthodontist. To schedule a consultation with the experts at Pearl Shine Dental, you can call 281-477-7200.
Your provider will ask about the symptoms and any issues you may be facing while chewing or when opening or closing your mouth.
The doctor will take an x-ray of your mouth and send it to the lab to make a mold of your teeth.
Summing Up
Crooked teeth are a common oral issue found in many kids, younger individuals, and adults. If your crooked teeth aren’t causing any health problem or you don’t feel ashamed, there’s no need to go for any treatment.