The human body constantly changes as it ages. Though many people may believe that their teeth will stay in place after they are done with braces, the truth is that their teeth will continue to shift positions over time. This can happen due to illnesses, injury, the aging process, or even orthodontic procedures. Here’s why your teeth may have shifted and what your orthodontist can do to address the matter.
What Can Cause My Teeth to Shift?
Your jaw and facial structure change as you age, and these changes can gradually contribute to the shifting of your teeth. You may find that new gaps have formed or that your teeth have become more crowded after years of subtle movement. A few factors that can affect this process include:
Bruxism
Teeth grinding, also called bruxism, is a common issue. While 15-40% of children are believed to grind their teeth in their sleep, the rate decreases to about 8.6% in adulthood. Some people consciously grind their teeth while awake due to stress. Unfortunately, this habit wears down the enamel and changes the shape of your teeth. This can eventually lead to changes in the teeth’s alignment and slowly push them out of position.
Missing Teeth
Losing a tooth deprives the part of the jawbone that supports it of the exercise that comes during the chewing process. Without this frequent stress, this part of the bone will begin to atrophy and recede. Over time, the neighboring teeth will shift to fill in the space, but the receding jawbone can pull these teeth out of alignment, making them harder to clean and easier to injure.
Gum Disease
If left untreated, gum disease can destroy gum tissue and jawbone, causing the teeth they support to shift out of place. To make matters worse, gum disease can spread and, in advanced cases, cause secondary infections like sepsis or pneumonia.
How Can My Orthodontist Treat My Shifting Teeth?
Luckily, orthodontic science has developed a variety of ways to help people get their teeth in a better position. Traditional braces are a tried-and-true method that can be used to correct complex alignment issues. Braces are irremovable, meaning that you won’t have to worry about not wearing them enough, but they do have special hygiene and dietary requirements.
In recent decades, clear aligner treatments like Invisalign and Spark have become increasingly popular. Clear aligners provide patients with a removable, virtually invisible orthodontic option that involves no dietary restrictions. However, the patient must have the discipline to wear their aligners for the prescribed amount of time every day and to clean their teeth and their aligners thoroughly before putting them back in after removing them.
If your teeth have shifted after a previous orthodontic treatment, then you’ll know how important it is to wear your retainer after undergoing a second round. Consulting with your orthodontist will determine if any orthodontic treatment is right for you.
About the Author
Dr. David W. Cordes earned his dental doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine and specializes in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. He serves as a proud member of the Northeastern Society of Orthodontics, the American Association of Orthodontics, and the American Dental Association. His offices in Westfield, Enfield, and Suffield, CT offer traditional braces, Invisalign clear aligners, Spark clear aligners, and orthognathic surgery. For more information about what orthodontics can do for you, contact him online.