Crooked or misaligned teeth can significantly damage your smiling confidence. Formerly known as tooth misalignment, this is a condition where your teeth have shifted into an abnormal position and your smile is no longer straight, causing smiling confidence to deplete and impact your oral health.
Whilst modern dentistry means that tooth misalignment can be treated, it is also important to be aware of the causes so that you wouldn’t need to fork out for tooth misalignment treatment.
Tooth Misalignment Causes
So, what are some of the common tooth misalignment causes?
- Genetics owing to crooked teeth through tooth development
- Thumb sucking during childhood
- Biting your fingernails
- Traumas
- Poor oral hygiene (which can cause gingivitis)
- Jaw fractures
Naturally, bad habits such as opening things with your teeth or biting your fingernails can cause your teeth to shift from their position and introduce rough edges that spells bad news for your bite.
If you don’t manage these causes and habits, here are the key impacts that tooth misalignment can have on your oral health.
An Embarrassing Smile
There is nothing worse than a damaged and crooked smile. This can impact your overall quality of life, and when teeth are misaligned, it can be difficult to keep your teeth clean. Dental plaque builds up quicker due to food debris becoming stuck in between your teeth. Your teeth will then suffer from discolouration.
Periodontal Disease
When bacteria accumulate in the mouth due to dental plaque build-up, this can cause gum irritation and inflammation. As you brush your teeth, this can progress into periodontal disease. Eventually, gums will recede, exposing pockets for bacteria to continue to penetrate the gums. This will impact the underlying bone and your teeth, which will eventually fall out.
Overlapping Jaws
When the lower jaw begins to overlap the upper jaw, your teeth will protrude. This means your tongue is pressing forward further in the mouth. This then causes malocclusion or known as an underbite or overbite. This can cause teeth grinding because your teeth will feel the impact and cause wear and tear when you bite down.
Tooth Decay
Tooth decay is irreversible when it becomes severe. This means that your tooth would need to be extracted as it becomes unrepairable. It can be thought of as a dead tooth, where the tooth is severely damaged due to plaque, bacteria and sugar building up together to damage your enamel. Furthermore, dental plaque is the first initial danger sign of tooth decay.
Being conscious of what causes tooth misalignment will hopefully ensure you stop performing habits that cause it. If you need further support with tooth misalignment, we at Western Sydney Smiles have the available treatments you need. Contact us today and we’d be delighted to assist you!
