If you’re someone who had perfectly straight baby teeth, only to have them replaced by permanent, crooked teeth, you may wonder how you even got them in the first place. Misaligned teeth can be caused by a number of factors such as bad myofunctional habits, mouth trauma, poor nutrition, genetics, and evolution.
Myofunctional is a word that means, “relating to muscle function especially in the treatment of orthodontic problems”. Some myofunctional habits come from infancy and include thumb-sucking and pacifier or bottle use. Other bad habits that can contribute to misaligned teeth include tongue thrusting and mouth breathing. Malocclusion, or a misalignment of the jaw, can also be caused by poor myofunctional habits resulting not only in misaligned teeth but an over or underbite, as well.
This especially applies to children. A good diet at an early age is paramount to a child’s growth and development. It’s no surprise that poor nutrition affects the development of adult teeth, too. Permanent teeth can become brittle, and crooked when they eventually grow in.
There is little you can do to avoid bad dental genetics, unfortunately. If your mother and/or father had crowded or crooked teeth, it becomes a high likelihood that you will, too. You can also inherit an overbite or underbite from them, as well as other dental health issues like tooth decay, oral cancer, gum disease, and others.
There are many reasons why people have poor dental health. Perhaps it can be attributed to poor home-care. We recommend brushing at least twice a day and flossing after eating. Perhaps it’s because people skip their annual (or bi-annual) dental appointments. There are many sensitive reasons as to why this might be the case, but we recommend getting a cleaning administered by a certified dental hygenist at least once a year.
This might seem counter-intuitive at first. How did humans evolve in such a way that makes our oral hygiene worse? Our modern food is to blame. We consume softer foods than the ones eaten by our ancient ancestors. Over thousands of years, our jaws have gotten smaller as the need for powerful jaw muscles diminished. This can account for misaligned teeth.
What Happens if I Decide to Leave My Crooked Teeth as Is?
From a medical perspective, we don’t recommend this course of action. Overcrowded teeth are much harder to care for than straight ones. Plaque and food remnants can build up in hard-to-reach crevices, which can cause cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease. If left untreated, it can cause even more serious dental health issues down the road. Crooked teeth can also cause chewing and digestion issues. Teeth are a very important part of the digestive system as they help break down foods into smaller portions. Having misaligned teeth can result in ingesting food chunks too large to pass through your digestive system comfortably.
Speech impediments like lisps are a result of crooked or misaligned teeth. This can make it difficult for you to be understood by others and can be embarrassing.
A bright, beautiful smile is often the first thing people notice about others, so it’s no surprise that having crooked teeth can really take a toll on your confidence.
Crooked teeth are more susceptible to faster wear than straight ones, as some teeth may align poorly and have to do more work than others to chew food properly.
Dr. Siman’s cosmetic dentistry services can help you achieve the smile you deserve. Whether you have a number of missing teeth due to tooth decay or a misaligned jaw, Dr. Siman has a number of options to help you get your teeth back on track. If you think braces are a better fit for your situation, you can learn more about the different kinds of braces here.
