Adult Teeth Are Coming in Crooked? Here Are 6 Things to Do

Crooked teeth can affect more than a smile. Depending on the type of misalignment, you can have difficulty with speech, chewing, jaw alignment, and oral hygiene. Once you notice that they are coming in crooked, a dental consult can help you decide on the best treatment option to straighten adult teeth.

Timing can be critical if your child’s adult teeth are coming in crooked. Schedule an appointment at Trident Dental today for a comprehensive oral examination to determine if treatment is needed.

Types of Crooked Teeth

There are several types of crooked or misaligned teeth, and you can have more than one. However, no matter how your teeth are misaligned, your smile will be impaired. The types of misalignments include:

  • Crossbite. This misalignment occurs when your lower teeth fit inside instead of outside your upper teeth. One or more teeth can be affected.

  • Open bite. This uncommon misalignment can affect the front or back teeth, preventing them from touching when your mouth is closed.

  • Underbite. When you bite with an underbite, your lower jaw extends forward of the upper jaw.

  • Deep bite. You have a deep bite if your upper teeth excessively overlap your bottom teeth when you close.

  • Overcrowding. This common misalignment occurs when you have inadequate space for all of your teeth.

What Causes Crooked Teeth?

There are several possible causes that can contribute to crooked teeth, including:

  • Genetics. Heredity often causes a discrepancy between the sizes of your upper and lower jaws. This leads to one or more types of teeth alignment problems.

  • Premature loss of baby teeth. Losing teeth too early in childhood can cause a loss of space for your adult teeth resulting in crooked or overcrowded teeth.

  • Habits. Habits during early childhood such as thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, and prolonged use of a pacifier or bottle-feeding can cause adult teeth to come in crooked.

  • Mouth breathing. Children who breathe through their mouth can develop problems such as sleep apnea and misaligned teeth.

6 Things To Do For Crooked Adult Teeth

Fortunately, many treatments are available to ensure that adult teeth coming in crooked get moved into a proper alignment. Early detection and treatment make this easier and get the best results. Interceptive orthodontics is the treatment of alignment problems soon after they manifest themselves. Depending on the type of misalignment, the procedures to treat crooked teeth early can include:

  1. Banded or bonded expanders. Both types of palatal expanders rely on an expansion mechanism to slowly widen the jaw.

  2. Protraction facemask. This appliance helps bring the upper jaw forward and downward to help those with an underbite.

  3. Braces. Traditional metal braces have been effectively used for many years to straighten teeth. Metal braces have disadvantages such as causing more sores and making oral hygiene more difficult. Yet, they are a reliable treatment option for many cases of crooked teeth.

  4. Invisible braces. Straightening crooked teeth with invisible braces such as ClearCorrect offer several advantages over traditional braces. The benefits include being more comfortable, virtually invisible, and easier to maintain.

  5. Habit orthodontic appliances. These are often used in small children to help them stop sucking their thumbs and causing crooked teeth.

  6. Space maintainers. These devices help prevent loss of space after losing a baby tooth too early.

Schedule Appointment

The most important thing you can do if you notice your child’s adult teeth are coming in crooked is to have them evaluated. The oral health professionals at Trident Dental can help you decide the best treatment to help ensure your child has straight teeth and a bright smile.

Schedule Appointment

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