You likely know to practice dental hygiene to protect your oral health. In particular, you should brush and floss your teeth to keep them clean and free of harmful bacteria. However, did you know it’s also essential that your pearly whites stay straight? Your teeth can shift throughout your life, but letting them do so will cause problems. As such, you ought to act if you notice yours starting to move. Luckily, your dentist in St. Albans is here to help. Read on to learn the causes of shifting teeth and how dental treatment can fix them.
So, What *Is* Making Your Teeth Shift?
While teeth shifting is natural, they can do so for various reasons. Some of them include the following:
Natural Aging
Aging causes your jaw muscles and ligaments to weaken slowly. As that happens, your teeth may loosen and shift your bite.
Growing older can also change your smile. Lips contract over the years, creating pressure that pushes teeth inward.
Jaw Movement
Your jawbone shifts forward throughout your entire lifespan. In some cases, this movement puts force on lower teeth and thus pushes upper teeth out of place. Your smile can then become misaligned, altering the bite and causing more teeth to shift.
Tooth Grinding
Bruxism, or teeth grinding, does more than just wear teeth down with force. It can often create pressure that pushes them out of place. Even worse, this habit is often unconscious, so many don’t recognize its role in bite shifts.
Gum Disease
Gum disease infects the pink tissue surrounding your teeth. Its advanced form, periodontitis, can even lead to gum recession and bone loss, which affects tooth movement. However, the latter only happens when the infection spreads to surrounding body tissue.
How a Dentist Can Help
Your dentist in St. Albans has treatments that could correct your shifting teeth and realign your smile. The most common procedures are:
- Invisalign – Invisalign uses clear aligning trays to move and straighten teeth. Many patients consider them more convenient than braces due to their subtle appearance. Plus, the removable aligners don’t interfere with meals or dental care.
- Porcelain Veneers – Porcelain veneers are thin layers of ceramic that hide smile flaws. One such flaw includes misaligned teeth, meaning this treatment could cover up your crooked smile with a straight one.
In the end, tooth alignment is just as important as tooth cleanliness. That said, set up treatment with your local dental practice today!
About the Practice
St. Albans Dental is based in St. Alban’s City, VT. As led by Drs. Saini and Aten, our practice emphasizes comprehensive dental services. In line with that focus, we offer a wide range of preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments, including emergency procedures. You can also count on us for orthodontics thanks to our Invisalign clear aligner treatments! For more information or to book an appointment, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (802)-524-4844.