Your teeth are both strong and delicate at the same time. As you get older, changes to your mouth and gums can cause your teeth to shift slightly. Teeth shifting can cause many issues. It can affect the way your smile looks, therefore causing self-esteem issues. Teeth shifting can also cause health issues. For example, your gums can become damaged. When one tooth shifts, it can make all the others shift, causing them to develop gaps or become crooked. If you cannot chew properly due to teeth shifting, you could develop digestive issues. Our patients often ask how to prevent teeth shifting. The information that follows will tell you the most popular causes of teeth shifting and how you can prevent it.
Get Regular Cleanings
Getting regular teeth cleanings may be the number one way you can prevent your teeth from shifting. Food particles can become lodged between teeth causing pressure that may shift them over time. This debris can also contribute to gum disease. As your gums start becoming inflamed, they pull away from teeth and cause teeth to loosen and shift.
Get Gaps Filled
Gaps between your teeth can allow the teeth on either side of the gap to start shifting. Over time, it creates a chain reaction. By having a dentist fill your gaps with dental crowns, you can prevent shifting and keep the surrounding teeth in the correct position. Another solution to prevent teeth shifting is to have a dentist use a dental veneer to fill the gap and make it impossible for the surrounding teeth to have room to shift.
Fix Overlapping Teeth
Sometimes a person’s mouth is too small to accommodate all of their teeth. Most commonly, this will affect a person’s wisdom teeth. You can schedule dental surgery to remove your wisdom teeth as they try to emerge. In other cases, as the teeth try to fit, they may start to shift and one tooth will overlap with the one next to it. Additionally, when you age, your jaw changes you have less room for your teeth. This leads to overcrowding in your mouth. A retainer or braces can help gently hold your teeth in a straight position and prevent them from overlapping.
Stop Teeth Grinding
Many people grind their teeth while they sleep, especially when they are experiencing stress. This can also happen during waking hours, such as when a person clenches their jaw when concentrating hard. A dentist can fit you for a guard to wear at night to help this problem. This guard is very similar to the ones worn by football and hockey players to help prevent their teeth from shifting. The guard is molded especially for your mouth and does not interfere with breathing.
Change Your Sleeping Position and Posture
This may seem like a strange way to prevent teeth shifting, but changing your sleeping position and posture can make a difference. If you sleep on your stomach, this will put uneven pressure on your jaw and your teeth will shift slightly as time goes by. Therefore, if you sleep this way every night for several years, the gradual shifting becomes worse. Additionally, poor posture can cause you to prop your head up with your hand under your chin throughout the day. This has the same effect as sleeping on your stomach does. By sitting properly, you aren’t as likely to prop your head up and cause the shifting.
Visit Lovett Dental
At Lovett Dental we take teeth shifting seriously. By scheduling regular dental checkups 281-838-8400 we can catch any changes in your teeth early and help minimize any damage to prevent teeth from shifting. Good oral hygiene habits are one of the best ways to keep your teeth healthy and straight. Set up a dental appointment today to keep your smile bright tomorrow.