There are many factors that cause your teeth to be crooked, overlap or become twisted. In some cases, your mouth might just be too small for you teeth. This causes the teeth to crowd together and the teeth will eventually shift to compensate for this.
In other cases, your upper and lower jaws may not be the same size. Or the jaws may be malformed. This will result in an excessive protrusion of the upper jaw (an overbite) or the lower jaw may jut forward extending beyond the upper teeth (an underbite).
Genetics is often the main cause of crooked teeth. Just like you inherited your eye and hair color from your parents, you also inherited the overall structure of your jaw and teeth.
Other causes of misaligned teeth can be:
- Improper fitting fillings or crowns
- Gum disease
- Early loss of adult or baby teeth
- A jaw that is too small
- A misaligned jaw due to trauma or facial injury
- Habits such as prolonged thumb sucking, or using a pacifier beyond the age of three.
Crooked teeth and misaligned bites can result in many problems like interference with proper chewing, keeping the teeth properly cleaned and plaque free, strain on the whole system which can lead to TMJ or broken teeth and self-esteem issues.
A visit to your dentist can determine if your teeth are crooked and bite misaligned through a routine examination of your mouth, teeth, jaw, and facial appearance. Your dentist knows what signs to look for and can refer you to a specialist if needed.
Call AZ Dental Medicine to help you get on the right track towards healthy, straight teeth. You will be glad that you did.