If there is one thing those of us in the orthodontics world are known for, it’s braces and the fact that they are used to treat cases of crooked teeth (among other things) in our patients. However, one of the more commonly asked questions we get is, why do some people get crooked teeth, to begin with? After all, if you take a look around, most people don’t have the picture-perfect smile we all imagine without some orthodontics help. There are a variety of factors that can cause people to have some kind of crooked teeth.
Sometimes You Are Just Born with Them
It can be hard to escape your genetics sometimes, and crooked teeth can certainly be one of those genetic factors you can’t avoid. In fact, it is the most common cause of crooked teeth, meaning that there is little to nothing most people can do to prevent crooked teeth. These genes can manifest in a number of ways. For instance, crowded teeth can be caused by smaller mouths, certainly a genetic trait that can cause misaligned jaws or crooked teeth.
There Are Some Bad Habits That Cause Crooked Teeth
While most people have absolutely no control over their teeth, there are some bad habits that can actually cause this problem. Perhaps the most common is prolonged thumb sucking. While this can be cute in infants for a while, at some point, it actually causes enough of a ripple effect down the line to lead to the development of crooked teeth, which is why some parents struggle to break this habit before it’s too late. The other behavioral traits that can cause this are often subconscious, and they include mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, or reverse swallowing. All of these can contribute to crooked teeth.
Baby Teeth Actually Do Matter
There is often a joke about whether or not taking care of your baby teeth really matters because you are just going to lose them anyway. However, the health of your baby teeth is directly linked to the health of your adult teeth. If you lose baby teeth prematurely due to decay, it causes the timing of your adult teeth to be off, which can greatly contribute to crooked teeth. In addition, the harmful bacteria that caused the baby tooth to decay can already impact the enamel of the adult tooth before it has even fully emerged.
Of course, the good news is that crooked teeth are eminently treatable in the hands of practiced and skilled orthodontists. We can perform treatments at all ages, although the sooner we start, the lower the costs and shorter the treatment times tend to be. However, many people, even the ones with picture-perfect smiles now, had to deal with crooked teeth. We’ll be happy to help you overcome this condition with our professional orthodontics treatments. Contact us now to learn more.
