Crooked teeth and yellowed teeth are both relatively common. Many people know that yellow teeth are a sign of tooth decay and plaque build-up, but what about crooked teeth?
Let us take a closer look at crooked teeth, what causes them, and what you can do about them if you would like to straighten your teeth.
What Causes Teeth to Be Crooked?
Teeth need space to grow, both above and below the gum line. Baby teeth and adult teeth can both grow into crooked positions if the gums are too crowded and there is not enough space for them.
Genetics can also cause crooked teeth. If your parent’s teeth are or were crooked, then there is a strong chance yours or your children’s will be too. External factors like sucking on your thumb can also affect how teeth grow. There is treatment available, take a look here for how using aligners can help crooked teeth. Braces can also help to straighten crooked teeth too, both for children and adults.
Are Crooked Teeth Worse Than Yellow Teeth?
Crooked teeth pose a larger, long-term health risk than yellow teeth. Yellowed teeth are normally the result of plaque build-up and stains from food and drinks like tea and coffee. If left untreated this can lead to gum disease and infections.
Yellowed teeth can be treated with an oral health routine that includes regular brushing and flossing. Dentists can also help to treat and remove plaque and yellowing, a good oral health routine should keep it at bay afterwards.
Crooked teeth can cause pain in the jaw and muscles, and damage themselves and other teeth through grinding and rubbing.
Should Teeth Be Straightened?
For many people, this is a personal choice, and a cosmetic one. Unless your crooked teeth are causing problems, your dentist may not suggest straightening them.
Straightening your teeth will lead to better oral health as you will be able to get better results from brushing and flossing, and both will be easier to do too. For mouths with mildly crooked teeth, the results you get from straightening will be mostly cosmetic. This can be beneficial to some people who feel nervous or anxious about the appearance of their teeth and their smiles.
Using teeth aligners or braces to realign the teeth can restore the self-confidence of people with crooked smiles. This can make huge positive changes in their life and how they feel about themselves. Straightening your teeth can have psychological benefits as well as physical ones.
What Options are Available?
There are lots of ways to straighten teeth. Which is the best one for you will depend on how crooked your teeth are and what result you would like to see when straightening is complete.
Teeth aligners are a common way to straighten teeth. Most people only need a mild realignment to give them the smile they are looking for. Teeth aligners gently move teeth into their correct position over time, and many are invisible to onlookers.
Crooked teeth affect people of all ages. Whether you are a child, teenager, or an adult you can have your teeth realigned and enjoy better oral hygiene and a straightened smile.