Sometimes, when you see someone with straight teeth, you might wonder how lucky they are to have a Hollywood-style smile. Okay, we get it. A smile is a big part of who we are, and having crooked, twisted, or uneven teeth can make us feel very bad about our self-esteem.
While some people think that luck plays a role in how their teeth look, the truth is that there are good reasons for teeth to grow crooked. Another good thing is that orthodontic treatment can straighten out crooked teeth. Before discussing cosmetic dentistry, let’s first discuss the origins of crooked teeth and their effects.
Causes Of Crooked Teeth
- Thumb Sucking: Kids who suck their thumbs for a long time often end up with dislocated teeth. When you keep pressing on your gums with your thumb, they get swollen and twisted, especially those growing outwards. If you keep doing this until you are a child, you are more likely to have crooked teeth.
- Tongue Thrusting: Tongue thrusting hurts your teeth the same way thumb sucking does. It can lead to uneven bites, especially an overbite, which means the top teeth stick out.
- Misaligned Teeth: When the upper or lower jaw is smaller than usual, the teeth may not be in the right place. This is also known as malocclusion. When lips aren’t lined up right, problems like overbite and underbite can happen. When you have an overbite, your upper teeth stick out more than your lower teeth. When you have an underbite, your lower teeth stick out more than your upper teeth.
- Genetics: Children often inherit crooked teeth from their parents. People in the family with crooked teeth are also more likely to have crooked fixed teeth, even if they take good care of their teeth.
- Facial Injury: Trauma to the face, like a broken chin as a child, can cause teeth to shift or bites to become crooked. The jaw moves slightly from where it was initially placed, making the teeth grow incorrectly. Losing teeth can also happen after getting hurt in the face. And when there is an empty room in the mouth, the teeth tend to move to fill it.
Problems Caused By Crooked Teeth
- Gum Disease: Caring for your mouth when your teeth are crowded or twisted is challenging. You get bad breath, plaque, cavities, and gum disease when you don’t care for your mouth and teeth. Gingivitis is the initial step of gum disease. It makes the gums swell, itch, and become sensitive. Another symptom of gum disease is bleeding gums. But if you don’t treat gingivitis, it turns into periodontitis, which affects the bone and causes you to lose bone and teeth.
- Tears and Wear: Teeth that aren’t in the right place are more likely to get broken or worn down. There’s more wrong than wear and tear, though. A lot of wear and tear can push TMJ disorder, which stands for Temporomandibular Disorder. People who have this disorder feel a lot of pain or even have trouble moving their jawbone.
- Difficulty Chewing: If your teeth are crooked or crowded, it can be hard to chew, worsening stomach issues.
- Speech Problems: The most common result of crooked teeth is speech problems, like having trouble saying a few words.
- Low Self-Esteem: Having twisted or uneven teeth can make you feel bad about your self-esteem. After all, our smiles show what kind of person we are. In addition, not taking care of your teeth properly can stain them, making you feel bad about your appearance. These are the main reasons why people get cosmetic dentistry.
Why Should You Get Teeth Straightening?
It’s true that having straighter teeth makes you look better and gives you more confidence. But if your teeth are really out of place, you need to straighten them immediately because not doing so can cause periodontitis, which raises your risk of heart disease. An infected bone below the gum line can cause a bacterial infection in the heart stream. This can damage the heart valves.
Treatment Options For Crooked Teeth
1. Braces
A type of dental device made up of braces, bands, and wires is called a brace. They put constant pressure on the jaw for a long time. The jaw adapts to the pressure in a certain way, which moves it into the right place. Ceramic braces, Metal braces, and lingual braces are the three. Based on the results of your oral test, you can talk to your orthodontist about the best way to straighten your teeth.
2. Invisalign
Invisalign is braces that you can’t see. As part of the process, clear or see-through trays are made to fit over your existing teeth. Your dentist will make several models, and you must move from one to the next until your teeth are in the right place. People over 18 often choose Invisalign because the clear aligners are hard to see. However, braces are a better choice because they are less expensive than Invisalign.
Meet professionals if you want to straighten your teeth and improve your health or if you think your crooked teeth could cause serious problems. Learn about the best way for you to get braces and start the process of getting the best smile possible.
Conclusion
Knowing what causes crooked teeth and how they affect people shows how important it is to fix this problem for more than looks. Different things, like thumb-sucking, genetics, and face accidents, can cause teeth to be out of place. The consequences, such as gum disease, wear and tear, and speech problems, make getting help even more important.
The goal goes beyond the teeth’ appearance, whether you choose standard braces or clear Invisalign. Straightening teeth boosts confidence and avoids health problems, highlighting the critical connection between mouth health and general health. Today, do something to get a better, healthier smile.
