Why teeth shift with age and how to prevent it. The answers are here.
Whether you’ve undergone dental work or not, you may have noticed your teeth shifting out of place over the years. Rest assured, this is perfectly common with age. Too much shifting, though, can cause underlying problems – and that’s when a dental checkup would be a good idea.
Why teeth shift in the first place
Your teeth are linked to your jawbones through the periodontal ligament, which secures teeth alignment thanks to collagen and a tight connective tissue. While jawbones and ligaments are sturdy structures, they are also dynamic biological entities that move and weaken over time.
Your jaw bones, for example, lose density with age. This weakness triggers your bottom teeth to move further to the front of your mouth – exacerbating crowding and making it harder to floss in between, or even smile confidently.
Certain habits can also cause shifting. Take Bruxism, for example (also called excessive teeth grinding). Bruxism is triggered unconsciously and gets particularly acute during sleep. Grinding down on your teeth exerts the kind of pressure that will cause them to move out of place.
How teeth shifting impacts oral health
Misaligned teeth create hard-to-reach areas, making it easy for food particles to get stuck in-between them and difficult to floss properly. More food particles hanging around in there means bigger chances for bacteria to spread, and therefore higher risks for periodontal or gum disease, cavities, and tooth decay, to pop up.
Treating teeth shifting
The choice of treatment for teeth shifting depends on the severity of the case. At Basma, we treat mild to moderate cases of misalignment using a gentle invisible aligner treatment, 100% at-home, that ensures results in an average of 6 months.
A Basma invisible aligner is made of clear, high quality, and food-grade elastic plastic that is custom cut to fit every patient’s teeth. Once the desired alignment is reached and treatment ends, every patient is required to wear retainers to keep their teeth from moving, yet again.
In the end, being consistent with your oral care habits will help prevent teeth shifting. This means: wear your retainers after treatment, brush and floss properly, and don’t skip your yearly dental checkups!
Are your teeth shifting?
We can help; find out if you’re a candidate for invisible aligners today!