Crooked Teeth

Your teeth are crooked? You’re not alone!

Orthodontic problems such as having crooked or crowded teeth or misaligned teeth are so common, and sometimes they not only cause self-esteem issues but may also turn into a threat to our oral health. But what causes crooked teeth problems? Are there any treatment options? Come with us to get to know the causes of crooked teeth and their solutions.

What causes crooked teeth?

Possible causes of crooked teeth

A number of reasons can make a person’s teeth crooked, including:

Poor Oral Hygiene

Poor dental hygiene has many oral health consequences like developing plaque buildup, tooth decay, and gum disease. Gum disease or periodontal disease can cause damage to your jawbone and lead to teeth shifting, misalignment, loose teeth, bad breath, crooked teeth, and eventually tooth loss if left untreated. A missing tooth can also be a contributing factor to developing crooked teeth.

Practising good oral hygiene can ensure great oral health and prevent possible oral health issues.

Thumb Sucking

According to Brisbane paediatric dentists, Thumb-sucking could be the reason for the misalignment of your child’s upper and lower teeth. (crooked permanent teeth) Prolonged thumb sucking (after the age of four) can interfere with your child’s proper dental development, damage your child’s teeth and mouth, and cause overbite and protruded upper teeth. The constant pressure on the gums, teeth, jawbone, and roof of the mouth caused by thumb sucking may lead to many orthodontic issues for the child’s future adult teeth by making their teeth crooked.

Other bad habits such as tongue thrusting, reverse swallowing, finger sucking, sucking on a pacifier, or chronic mouth breathing may all push out baby teeth and result in crooked teeth.

Tongue thrusting occurs when you push out your tongue between the lower and upper teeth while talking, drinking, or eating something.

Genetics

Orthodontic problems are sometimes inevitable because it’s your gene that is causing them! Hereditary factors play a significant role in jaw size, development, size, and the number of teeth. So, if you have had crooked teeth as a child, there’s a chance you may pass it on to your child.

Jaw Size

Having a small jaw can mean insufficient space for proper teeth development in the mouth, slightly crooked teeth. It may be interesting to know, our ancient ancestors had relatively bigger jaws because they had to have uncooked vegetables and meat. However, dietary changes over several decades and the shift from raw food to processed food have led to the smaller jaw and consequently misaligned teeth or crooked or crowded teeth.

Premature loss of baby tooth

Baby teeth or primary teeth keep the space for the future adult teeth, and if a child loses a baby tooth before it is due, the other teeth will shift to fill the empty gap caused by the missing tooth. This can cause crowding and may lead to crooked permanent teeth. for more information about dental treatment specific to toddlers and baby teeth please see the kids dentist website.

Malnutrition

Our body requires a balanced diet and enough nutrients for proper bone and teeth formation. Malnutrition will cause general and oral health problems, interfere with proper teeth growth, and lead to crooked teeth development.

Ill-fitted crowns and fillings

Poorly-fitted dental restorations like crowns and fillings can give rise to crooked teeth.

Trauma

Facial injury, such as a blow or hit to your mouth, may shift your jaw from its proper position, resulting in misaligned or crooked teeth.

Common health consequences of crooked teeth

It would help if you had orthodontic treatment to fix crooked teeth; otherwise, you are putting yourself at risk of developing the following health problems:

An increased risk of tooth decay, cavity, gum disease

Having crooked teeth makes oral hygiene quite challenging for the person, leading to plaque buildup, dental decay, cavity, and eventually gum disease.

Improper chewing

Crooked teeth may lead to having misaligned bites; you may not be able to chew the foods properly, resulting in having digestion problems.

Speech difficulties

Yes! Unfortunately, misaligned and crooked teeth may even pose speech problems for you by affecting the way you articulate some sounds.

Excess teeth wear and tear

If you have crooked teeth, there is an increased risk of excess wear and tear on your teeth and jaw muscles, leading to cracked teeth or enamel erosion, jaw strain, etc.

Low self-esteem

Having the best smile is one of the main factors in increasing your confidence; crooked teeth can negatively impact your self-esteem in your daily interactions.

Orthodontic treatment

How to fix crooked teeth?

Your professional Brisbane orthodontist dentists can correct crooked teeth and straighten teeth using the best treatment methods according to your unique situation.

Metal Braces: Traditional dental braces are considered effective treatment options for straightening teeth; they are made of metal brackets and wires and can correct crooked teeth by moving them to their correct position. Your orthodontist may ask you to wear braces for a long period to achieve the desired result.

Ceramic braces: Ceramic braces will be able to straighten crooked teeth and be used as an alternative to traditional braces with all the metal brackets because they are clear or tooth-coloured. They need more care and attention because they break and stain easy.

Lingual braces: Lingual braces can also fix crooked teeth and offer you straight teeth. Lingual braces are almost invisible since they are behind your teeth and can correct most misaligned bite problems. It would help if you talked to your orthodontist to make sure these braces are good options to fix crooked teeth in your mouth.

Invisalign Treatment: Your orthodontist may suggest Invisalign treatment only if you don’t have severe tooth alignment. They are made out of clear plastic aligners and are recommended to teenagers and adults for straightening teeth. These removable aligners need to be worn for a longer time compared to conventional braces.

Brisbane Cosmetic Dentistry

Are you looking for an experienced orthodontist to help with your misaligned jaw, crooked teeth, or misaligned bites in Brisbane? PureDentistry orthodontist dentists in Brisbane are here to help; Call us on 0733434869.