Have you ever wondered why are your teeth crooked? Crooked teeth can be a big issue in someone’s life … maybe it’s a big issue in your life. After all, having crooked teeth can cause problems with your confidence levels and you might not like smiling all that much (smiling is good for you, so that’s an issue right away). Plus, if you have crooked teeth, it might make it hard to eat and chew properly, causing dietary issues, and it might be tricky to clean your teeth fully, causing dental issues.
The good news is that there are various options to help you, and cosmetic dentistry can put things right, giving you lovely straight teeth. However, in order to take care of your teeth after the work has been done, it’s useful to know what causes crooked teeth so you can avoid the issues where possible. Keep reading to understand why are your teeth crooked.
Why Are Your Teeth Crooked?
Too Many Teeth
Everyone has the same amount of teeth – of course, there will always be outliers who have more or fewer than the average amount. But ‘too many teeth’ can still be a problem when it comes to having straight teeth (or not, as the case may be). That’s because, although we say it’s too many teeth, it’s actually the standard number of teeth in a small space – in other words, people with smaller mouths will find their teeth get crowded.
When there’s not enough space for the teeth to grow properly, they’ll start growing wherever they can, often over one another and at odd angles – they have to go somewhere, so they’ll keep growing and pushing until they’re crooked. In this situation, a good dentist will usually remove some teeth so there’s space for the others, and then the patient can wear braces to correct the issue.
Childhood Habits
Something else that can affect how your teeth look and make them grow crooked is childhood habits such as thumb sucking, nail-biting, or having a pacifier. Children’s teeth are much more malleable, and because they’re not permanent, they can move around quite a lot. If a child sucks their thumb, for example, this can push the teeth out of alignment, causing them to be crooked.
When the adult teeth come through, they’ll have to follow the ‘path’ set by the baby teeth before them, meaning that the adult teeth will often also be crooked even if the child has grown out of their bad habits by the time it happens. Again, braces or aligners will usually solve the issue.
Genetics
Sometimes it’s simply a case of genetics when it comes to crooked teeth, and you might find that a parent or grandparent has the same alignment of teeth as you. Genetics are complex and hard to understand, but it’s fascinating to see how they can cause replicas in various features – including your teeth.
Of course, as fascinating as genetics might be, it’s not all that helpful if you want straight teeth but you’re genetically programmed to have crooked ones! If you don’t like how your teeth look or if you feel their alignment means you’re not able to take care of them properly, speak to your dentist as soon as possible for some good advice.
