Crooked, overcrowded teeth are not only unpleasant, they can also negatively affect your oral health by trapping bacteria and creating a painful bite. Many patients develop crooked teeth when their permanent teeth erupt (break through the gum line), and others develop bite and alignment issues later in life.

The most common causes of a crooked smile are:

• Lack of space: Your temporary and permanent teeth may erupt improperly if the dental arch is not big enough to accommodate them.
• Genetics: Some mouths are predisposed by DNA to develop overbites, underbites, and crooked teeth.
• Early bad habits: Prolonged thumb sucking, bottle feeding, and oral thrusting can push teeth out of alignment and cause bad bites.
• Premature tooth loss: If you lose a temporary tooth before the permanent tooth is ready to erupt, the surrounding teeth can shift to fill the space. Tooth loss can also result in bone loss, weakening the dental arch.
• Wisdom teeth: When wisdom teeth are ready to erupt, most patients’ mouths do not have sufficient space for them. If the wisdom teeth are not removed at the appropriate time, they can become impacted or push the other teeth out of alignment.
• Tooth and jaw trauma: A physical blow to the teeth or jaw could knock out some teeth and push your bite out of alignment.

SmileMarin welcomes patients of all ages for orthodontic care. During your orthodontic consultation with Dr. Eric Zaremski, you can discover the cause of your alignment issues and the best possible treatment for your smile.