What Causes Crooked Teeth and How to Straighten Them
Crooked, misaligned teeth are prevalent. Many children and adults have them. If your teeth are crooked, if you’re unhappy with the way your teeth look, or if they’re causing health or speech issues, you can have them realigned.
What causes crooked teeth?
Both baby teeth and permanent teeth can come in crooked, or they can become crooked. Baby teeth sometimes move into crooked positions because they’re too small to fill the amount of gum space allocated to them.
Prolonged habits, such as sucking on a pacifier or thumb, can also cause baby teeth to become pushed out or crooked. Heredity and genetics may also play a role.
Having crooked baby teeth doesn’t mean your child will have crooked permanent teeth. However, if baby teeth grow in crowded together, the permanent teeth may be crowded as well.
If trauma to the mouth or tooth decay causes one or more baby teeth to fall out sooner than they would naturally, the permanent teeth that follow may grow out of the gums slanted rather than straight.
Other issues affecting baby teeth that can also affect permanent teeth include:
Jaw size
The modern diet of soft, processed food that many people consume requires less chewing than the foods eaten by our early ancestors.
This change has altered our collective jaw size, making it smaller. Scientists believe that our evolved, shorter jaw may be responsible for crowded, crooked, and misaligned teeth.
Poor myofunctional habits
Myofunctional habits are repetitive behaviours that affect the muscles or functions of the mouth or face. They include:
- thumb sucking
- pacifier or bottle use
- tongue thrusting
- mouth breathing
Malocclusion (misaligned jaw)
Your upper teeth are meant to fit slightly over your lower teeth, with the points of your upper molars fitting into the grooves of your lower molars. When this alignment doesn’t occur, malocclusion results.
Common misalignments include overbite and underbite. If you have an overbite, your upper front teeth protrude out farther than your lower front teeth.
If you have an underbite, your lower front teeth jut out farther than your upper front teeth. Poor myofunctional habits can cause a malocclusion to occur.
Genetics and heredity
If one or both of your parents had crowded or crooked teeth, you may, too. You may also inherit an overbite or underbite from your parents.
Poor dental care
Not having your teeth checked at least annually by a dentist can sometimes mean that problems, such as gum disease and cavities, go untreated. This can lead to crooked teeth and other dental health problems.
Poor nutrition
Poor nutrition, especially in children, can lead to tooth decay and poor dental development, which are potential precursors to crooked teeth.
Facial injury
A hit to the face or mouth can knock teeth out of place, resulting in one or more crooked teeth.
Issues caused by crooked
In some instances, crooked teeth can affect your quality of life. For example, misaligned teeth may affect your ability to chew, causing you pain every time you eat.
Also, some people may feel so self-conscious about their crooked teeth that they stop smiling or avoid social situations.
Other health issues that crooked teeth may cause include:
- Periodontal disease. It can be hard to clean in between crooked teeth. This can result in tooth decay and gum disease. If left untreated, gum disease can lead to periodontitis, a more serious infection that can damage bones and teeth.
- Chewing and digestion. Crooked teeth can also interfere with proper chewing, which may cause digestion problems.
- Excess wear. Crooked teeth can also cause excessive wear and tear on the teeth, gums, and jaw muscles, resulting in cracked teeth, jaw strain, temporomandibular joint disorder, and chronic headaches.
- Speech difficulties. If your teeth are misaligned, they can affect the way you articulate sound, causing problems with speech.
- Self-esteem. Unhappiness with your physical appearance can lead to a lack of self-esteem and social avoidance.
Should crooked teeth be straightened?
Should crooked teeth be straightened?
The decision to straighten crooked teeth is a personal one. For many, a lack of funds may affect a decision to straighten teeth. Health issues may also factor into a decision.
If your crooked teeth make you feel self-conscious, that may also be a reason to straighten them.
What are my options for straightening my teeth?
What are my options for straightening my teeth?
If you’ve decided that straightening your teeth is the right choice for you, there are several alternatives you can discuss with an orthodontist.Braces are a great option for people of any age, provided that their teeth and gums are strong enough to hold them. Braces may be an especially good choice for children, who still have malleable, flexible gums and bone tissues.
Treatment can take anywhere between two to three years depending on the type of braces you choose, and what you need to have done. Teeth-straightening surgery is another option to consider and typically takes less time to achieve desired results.
Read on to learn about the different types of braces you can choose from, as well as surgical options.
Metal braces
Metal braces have come a long way since their early days. They now use smaller brackets and less metal. They’re also more comfortable than they used to be. They even come with multicoloured rubber bands that you can choose to match your personality.
Metal braces typically cost between Rs 300000 and Rs 45000 depending on the amount of work need to be done.
Balaji Dental and Orthodontic Clinic allows for monthly payment plan options.
Ceramic braces
The straightening process is the same as metal brackets, although ceramic brackets are prone to break easily. They also cost a bit more between Rs 35000 to Rs 50000 depending on the amount of work need to be done.
Balaji Dental and Orthodontic Clinic allows for monthly payment plan options.
Self-Ligating Braces
Self-ligating braces come with traditional metal, ceramic, or clear brackets. They use a specialized clip in place of elastics to help the archwire guide teeth to place. The clip helps reduce the amount of pressure being placed on the tooth and requires fewer adjustments.
Invisible braces
The clear plastic aligners are custom-made to fit your mouth. They fit over each tooth like a mouthguard and are removed and replaced twice monthly. This option has some limitation and isn’t recommended for severe tooth alignment correction.
Invisible braces may also take longer to straighten teeth than traditional braces. They cost between Rs 100000 to Rs 300000 depending on the amount of work need to be done.
Lingual braces
Lingual braces aren’t for everyone. They’re expensive, costing between Rs 100000 to Rs 250000 and hard to clean. They’re also not typically recommended for severely misaligned or crooked teeth. These types of braces may take longer to work, and be harder to get used to wearing.
Balaji Dental and Orthodontic Clinic allows for monthly payment plan options.
Teeth-straightening surgery
Surgical procedures for straightening teeth are another option. They may be a way to lessen the amount of time you need to wear braces.
Your orthodontist might suggest a minor surgical procedure designed to reposition the bones and gums that help hold your teeth in place.
They might also recommend a more involved procedure designed to realign your jaw. This is called orthognathic surgery. This type of surgery might be recommended if your teeth have affected your speech or chewing ability.
What should I expect when I see an orthodontist?
Your dentist may recommend that you see a specialist, called an orthodontist (M.D.S. Orthodontics). Your mouth, teeth, and jaw will be examined, and your bite assessed.
Your orthodontist will want to know about your symptoms, including any popping sounds that you hear when opening or closing your mouth, and any physical discomfort you have while chewing or at other times.
X-rays of your mouth will be taken, a mould of your teeth will be made, and set of facial and oral photographs will be taken for record purpose.
If you need braces, they will be custom-made for you and put on at the same or a later appointment.
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