What Causes Teeth to Shift?

Whether or not you’re someone who has undergone treatment to straighten their teeth, you may have noticed them shift over time. Like many others, you’ve probably wondered before what causes this phenomenon that results in misalignment. It might seem strange that your teeth are the only bones in your body that tend to move around like they do, but there are reasons why. Check out what your orthodontist in Cumming has to say about what causes teeth to shift, and all the options that you have to straighten them.

What Causes Teeth to Shift?

Depending on the specific person, there are several different things that can cause teeth to reposition themselves over time. While not every factor applies to everyone, here are a few reasons why you might have noticed your teeth shifting:

Aging

Over time, it is normal for jaw fibers and ligaments to weaken with the rest of the body. Oftentimes, people will also experience the loss of certain minerals, such as calcium, in the body. This decrease in bone density can cause the jaw to become less stable and the hold on your teeth to loosen, allowing them to shift.

Teeth Grinding

This is a bad habit that many people do without even realizing it. The excess pressure between the top and bottom teeth can cause them to shift overtime if not addressed.

Tooth Loss

Tooth loss might not be a reason you would have considered for shifting teeth. However, if you have one or more missing teeth, your other teeth will begin to shift over time to fill the empty space.

Gum Disease

Your gums not only protect your teeth from harmful bacteria, but they help hold them tightly in their sockets. Gum disease causes gums to swell and become weak, which results in movement of the teeth.

Tongue Thrusting or Reverse Swallowing

This involves the pressing of the tongue against the back of the teeth while swallowing, resting, or speaking. Over time, the force can create a gap between the upper and lower frontal teeth.

Although the movement of teeth overtime may not be completely avoidable, there are a multitude of options available to straighten out the misalignment. Keep reading to learn more.

What Are My Options for a Straighter Smile?

The world of orthodontics has come a long way since traditional braces. Now, your orthodontist can offer you more options than you probably would have ever imagined to help you achieve a straighter more perfect smile:

• Traditional Orthodontics: from standard square brackets, to customizable shapes for children, traditional braces have many more options than they used to. There are even ceramic choices that come in a natural tooth color, helping to mask the brackets against the teeth.
• INBRACE invisible braces: even more subtle than clear aligners, this method uses a wire that is shaped to straighten your unique smile, which is then placed on the inside of the teeth. Your orthodontist will custom design the wire to fit your specific goals.
• Invisalign: Over this treatment period your orthodontist will mold and create a series of twenty to thirty clear and nearly invisible trays that will straighten your top and bottom teeth.
• Retainers: These are mostly used to correct small misalignments and to help solidify the work done by more extensive straightening treatments.

If you’re ready to be confident in a straight smile, talk to your orthodontist about the different options available to you!

About the Practice

Dr. Susan Podray-Donovan is your local orthodontist leading the team at Serenity Orthodontics. For well over a decade, she has been helping patients of all ages achieve straighter smiles, and she never tires of doing so. It is her goal to build long-lasting relationships with every family she treats in a comfortable and trustworthy environment. If you’re ready to talk about straightening your teeth, schedule a consultation online, or call (678) 879-3006.