What Causes Crooked Teeth and How Can You Straighten Them?

Not all the people in the world are born with a perfect set of pearly white to give them heavenly smile. Like in all areas of life, set of teeth also seem to be distributed unevenly among mortals. Some people are fortunate to be born with perfect teeth giving them perfect smile, where as there are people who dream of having a string of pearls in place of their own uneven teeth. If you are among those who keep looking at people with perfect smile, and wonder whether they are born with this set of pearly whites, or they have acquired this smile, then rest assured you are not alone. As with all the bounties of the world, people who are born with these may not even be aware of how lucky they are and then there are those who spend hours pondering on why they are not so lucky to have a perfect set of teeth.

Smile is one of the first thing that people notice about you, and also integral part of your personality. Good smiles create easier path to follow for desired social relationships and makes life easier on personal and social front.

So, the question arises, what are the reasons that some people have perfect teeth, and some have teeth which makes them avoiding smiles, due to their crooked, overlapping, and unsightly teeth.

The main reason for having crooked teeth is genetics. You inherit all of your physical traits from your parents and they from their parents. But genes are not the only factors that are responsible to give you crooked or buck teeth. there are other personal habits and environmental factors which are reasons behind your less than perfect smile.

Factors responsible for getting crooked teeth:

There are many reasons for children and adults to get crooked teeth including:

Genetics:

Most often the cause of crooked teeth are genes you have inherited from your ancestors. It has been observed that along with major physical traits, the shape, size and position of your teeth also runs in the family. A child is born with no visible teeth, but the teeth are ready to be erupted once the gums and other apparatus to sustain the teeth are ready in the child.

Many parents are disappointed to see the permanent teeth that replace the temporary teeth erupt in a crooked fashion. The reason could be that the deciduous teeth are not coming off and the new teeth are ready to erupt, and that is why the permanent tooth erupts in a crooked way in whatever space is available on the jawline. Then the temporary tooth dislodges a little late, leaving a gap on the jaw because the permanent tooth is already there in crooked way, which makes this space unsightly. Similarly, sometimes the temporary teeth fall quicky before the permanent teeth can erupt, making the erupting tooth shift on the jawline, making the neighbouring tooth come in a lesser space. Although the teeth patterns are genetic, the crooked teeth can be helped to grow with the help of advanced dentistry techniques.

Thumb sucking:

The teeth are fixed in their sockets, but they are dynamic. If they are pressurised continuously, they move from their place and shift. Thumb sucking in children if continued for a long time has this effect on their front teeth, because their gums are still growing. If the thumb sucking continues in children for a few years after the permanent teeth have erupted, the front teeth slowly protrude, and shift, resulting in crooked teeth. Because of protrusion of front teeth, the bite gets affected, because the front upper teeth do not rest on the lower teeth in a proper alignment.

Tongue thrusting:

Tongue thrusting is a habit prevalent in some children. They have the habit of pushing their tongue between the two sets of teeth while swallowing. The proper place of the tip of the tongue is the back of the upper set of teeth while swallowing the food. Although the tongue looks very soft, easily mouldable, it is the one of the strongest muscles in the body. When a child keeps thrusting his tongue between upper and lower sets of teeth, it is capable of moving the teeth from its natural positions. This faulty habit of swallowing is detrimental for teeth positioning because we swallow about 2000 times per day. This habit results in malalignment of teeth and faulty bites.

Misaligned teeth:

When upper jaw or lower are smaller in size than usual, the result is malocclusion, where upper and lower sets of teeth do not meet causing misalignment. When the upper front teeth protrude, it is called overbite and when lower set protrude over upper teeth, it is called underbite.

Injury on teeth or the face:

Facial injury occurs during taking part in active sports or in accidents. The facial injury may result in facial trauma where the face gets impacted against a hard surface. This causes the jaw to shift a little from its place and it results in shifting of teeth which are growing in the jaw. The shift of jaw causes teeth to grow in slightly shifted place, then its original position, making them look crooked and crowded. Facial injury also can result in loss of tooth which will make other teeth shift from its place to fill the empty space. This makes teeth look ill spaced, resulting in faulty bite.

How can you get your teeth straightened?

It goes without saying that straight teeth make for a pleasant smile, which will increase your self-confidence and make your life more fulfilling.

Braces and Invisalign are the two of the most common and most effective ways to get your teeth straightened.

Braces are the most trusted orthodontic appliance which is used to apply constant but gentle pressure for an extended period of time, consisting of brackets, bands and wires, which causes the teeth to move into desired direction over a period of time, to position them according to plan. Invisalign is a type of braces, with one of the major differences being it is invisible. This treatment uses custom made series of trays to be worn over your teeth and changed every few days according to plan made by your dentist.

MP Orthodontics is an orthodontic practice based in Cheltenham, Melbourne. Working from the belief that orthodontic treatment is much more than working with teeth and creating smiles, treating orthodontists – Dr Martin Poon and Dr Geoff Hall – approach patients as people first. Their approach is to work together and plan and implement treatment that meets each individual’s needs. Drawing on 30 plus years experience of helping children gain confidence through tailored treatment, MP Orthodontics, is a truly unique orthodontic practice.