There are a number of causes of crooked teeth. Some of these include:
Tongue Tie
Did you know that Tongue Tie causes crooked teeth?
Dr Le found that about all of his patients who have mal-occlusion (patients who have misaligned jaw and/or teeth) over the years do have Tongue Tie!
Genetics
The most frequent cause of crooked teeth is genetics. Most of us have about as much control over how our teeth develop as we do over the colour of our skin or our eyes! The dental traits that can lead to the crowding of teeth and jaw misalignment are often inherited from our parents.
Crooked teeth are also, in some cases, related to the size of our mouths. If your mouth is too small, there’s a greater chance of crowded teeth that can then cause other teeth to shift from their normal position. Misaligned jaws can also lead to issues like Under bites and Overbites – abnormal protrusions which result in the upper or lower teeth extending beyond each other.
Bad Habits
Some habits that form during infancy can create a ripple effect that won’t become noticeable until many years later. This can apply to infants that often suck their thumb or fingers for comfort, or use a pacifier for self-soothing, especially if this habit extends well into toddlerhood. Although these behaviours seem harmless (and even helpful to tired parents!) they can often lead to the child developing crooked teeth as they grow older.
There are other, mostly unconscious, habits that can contribute to an ongoing misalignment of the jaw and crowding of the teeth. These are sometimes referred to as “Myofunctional” habits, and they include things like breathing through the mouth, tongue thrusting, and reverse swallowing.
Illness or injury
Facial trauma, such as a jaw injury or mouth injury, can have the effect of moving teeth out of place. Traumas are actually the most common cause of the most severe instances of crooked teeth. Losing teeth or having your jaw shift due to injury or illness often means that the remaining teeth will slowly shift to make up for that lost space over time. Seeking out qualified orthodontic treatment for these issues is especially important, because our bodies compensate for harm much more quickly than the slower changes that happen from genes or bad habits.
Timing
The permanent teeth underneath your baby teeth are directly affected by the health of those baby teeth. If these baby teeth are prematurely lost due to decay, trauma, or other factors, the permanent teeth will shift when they start moving upward. We look at baby teeth like small anchors for permanent teeth that should help to guide them as they erupt through the gums. If those anchors are missing, the permanent teeth may come up in unexpected places!
In addition, taking excellent care of baby teeth is vital to having healthy permanent teeth free of discoloration or decay. Harmful oral bacteria are able to spread into the gums and reach permanent teeth still buried there. Once it attaches to a tooth’s enamel, the bacteria will begin eroding it even before it has a chance to fully erupt.
Treatment options for crooked teeth with Dr Nathan Le
Once an experienced Orthodontic Dentist like Dr Le has fully examined your issues, he’ll be able to establish a diagnosis, followed by outlining the best treatment for your teeth or misaligned jaw. Depending on the gravity of the problem, treatment could range from one to more of the following:
. Orthodontic appliances to improve or correct the jaw relationship, which often needed
. Braces or Clear Aligner to straighten teeth
. Myobraces to correct any myofunctional habbit, treat mouth breathing when sleeping
. Frenectomy to fix the causes of the crooked teeth, to minimise relapse
. Retainer to keep teeth straight after treatment finished
While orthodontic treatment can begin at any age, starting at an early age ensures the best possible result with the least amount of cost and expense. Crooked or crowded teeth can benefit greatly from this kind of early intervention and possible treatment!
Below are examples of the life changing results that we has achieved with some of our Orthodontic patients
Dr Nathan Le also offer Orthodontic treatment at Best Western Dental Centre
