How come teeth grow crooked?

The causes of irregular tooth growth can be multiple. Some of them are internal to ourselves, due to genetic characteristics: malocclusion, crowding or bad positioning of the teeth, or very small size of the jaws.

grow crooked

Other causes may be related to bad habits (for example, grinding the teeth a lot or pushing the tongue towards the teeth), especially if they develop during childhood, such as sucking on a pacifier or the thumb or drinking from a bottle as early as the age of 3 years.

It can also happen that the teeth have a disordered appearance due to external and traumatic events: loss of baby teeth or loss of teeth in adulthood, poorly made fillings, poorly encapsulated teeth, or diseases such as pyorrhea, gingivitis, or tumors of the mouth and jaw.

Crooked teeth in adults

Very often we are led to believe that braces are not an adult thing. In fact, it's quite the opposite. In fact, while it is true that during development and childhood it is easier to intervene to have regular teeth, it is also true that teeth can lose their alignment in adulthood, when the teeth of wisdom begin to push on others to create their own space, ripping out a tooth that until then was perceived as perfect. In short, orthodontic treatment can be as effective during childhood or adolescence as at any other age: the important thing is to find the technique that best suits your needs.

In addition, it is equally important to remember that when it comes to aesthetics and personal care, one must always leave aside the social stigma and fears associated with it: no matter if and when you make the decision to get braces, what really matters is just feeling good about yourself and comfortable, especially when you're smiling.

Treatments for crooked teeth

Orthodontic appliance: Devices can be fixed or mobile. The first is the classic metal suspenders made up of rubber bands and supports. The advantage is that they are very effective in obtaining straight and perfectly aligned teeth, but they make it quite complicated to maintain good oral hygiene, and, in adults, they are not necessarily the preferred choice of many. because it is impossible to hide them. Mobile dental appliances, on the other hand, are those that can only be worn during meals, but only serve to correct malocclusions and not crooked teeth. The time needed to see the final results varies greatly from patient to patient depending on age and the degree of imperfection to be corrected and can vary from

Lingual appliance: unlike fixed appliances, these models are not as visible when talking and smiling, so they represent one of the best choices in the event that a patient is an adult person who does not want to have a very conspicuous appliance. It is placed inside the teeth (i.e. on the side of the tongue) and therefore cannot be seen from the outside. The advantage is therefore quite understandable, in addition to better preserving the enamel of the teeth. For the first few days, however, it can be a little strange to speak, as the tongue will have to adjust to the presence of this new foreign body. Here too, it is not possible to predict how long you will have to hold the device without consulting the specialist first.

Invisalign : This is the most popular technique among adults because it is an invisible device. In fact, this system is based on a series of transparent masks that are applied to the teeth, similar in some way to the bite marks used against bruxism. These masks can easily be removed during meals, so they have the double advantage of preserving both correct oral hygiene and aesthetics. The models are processed by software and, every two weeks, new custom-made models are delivered to the patients which will progressively align the crooked teeth. The treatment usually lasts from 6 months to 1 year, but even in this case, it is not possible to establish the exact schedule without a preliminary examination.