Are Crooked Teeth Genetic?
Crooked teeth. You've likely seen them — in the mirror, in a friend's smile, or even in those "before" pictures at the orthodontist's office. But have you ever wondered about the causes of crooked teeth? Are crooked teeth genetic? And how do you straighten crooked teeth?
The Foundations Orthodontics team will answer these questions and cover what you need to know about crooked teeth here.
Crooked Teeth: A Family History
First things first, let’s answer, “Are crooked teeth genetic?” Yes, Partly. Your genes do play a role in how your teeth and jaws align. Just like you inherit eye color or certain facial expressions, you can also inherit certain skeletal structures. If your parents had crooked teeth due to a small jaw, there's a chance you might, too.
What Else Causes Crooked Teeth?
Of course, crooked teeth aren’t just hereditary. What causes crooked teeth also includes:
Early Loss of Baby Teeth: When baby teeth fall out early, the remaining teeth might drift into the empty spaces, leading to alignment issues later. It's the teeth's natural tendency to move into gaps. In this case, drifting teeth might block adult teeth waiting to erupt or cause them to come in crooked.
Prolonged Dental Habits from Infancy: Baby habits like thumb sucking, pacifier use, or tongue thrust or a normal, developmental part of babyhood. But if these habits continue into late toddlerhood or early elementary school, they can negatively affect the alignment of teeth and jaws as they grow.
Airway Issues: Normal breathing is breathing through the nose with lips sealed and the tongue at the roof of the mouth.
When a child cannot breathe normally through the nose, they will compensate for this by breathing through the mouth. Mouth breathing leads to a low tongue posture which often results in an underdeveloped maxilla (upper jaw). A small maxilla may not allow room for all the teeth to fit into the dental arch.
Injury to Teeth: A fall or sports injury can knock teeth out. If the missing teeth were baby teeth, the gap can affect the alignment of incoming adult teeth.
Malocclusion: When Teeth Don't Align
Malocclusion — the dental term for misaligned teeth — isn't just a cosmetic issue. It can contribute to difficulty keeping teeth clean, an increased risk of cavities, speech or chewing problems, and even jaw or facial pain. The different types of crooked teeth fit into these categories:
Overbite: When the upper dental arch teeth bite too far over the lower teeth.
Underbite: Visually the opposite of an overbite, where the lower dental arch and teeth are too far forward.
Crossbite: A crossbite is where some upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth.
Open Bite: When the front teeth don't meet, leaving a noticeable gap. This can happen with either the front or back teeth.
Crowding: Teeth that sit too tight together because the jaw isn’t wide enough.
Gaps: The opposite of crowding, where gaps between the teeth are more than what's considered normal.
How To Fix Crooked Teeth
We can’t change your genetics, but as your Denver-area orthodontists, Dr. Moran and Dr. White are experts when it comes to fixing crooked teeth. With our holistic approach, we straighten your teeth and create a healthy bite by looking at your entire facial and oral structures to ensure a healthy, strong, and beautiful smile. What are some of the treatments we recommend for how to fix crooked teeth? At Foundations Orthodontics, we offer modern orthodontics such as:
Palatal Expanders: In early interceptive orthodontics, prevention is key! If an airway issue or small upper jaw is caught early, we might suggest a palatal expander to open up your child’s maxilla. This not only allows for expansion of the upper jaw but also opens the upper airway; allowing for all the benefits of nasal breathing.
Braces: You’re likely familiar with braces — brackets and wires that move teeth into their proper positions. But you might not know that modern braces have smaller, more streamlined brackets and thinner wires than in generations past. In our office we offer completely custom LightForce braces that are 3D printed to match your teeth. This precision allows for more accurate and efficient tooth movements which often decrease treatment time by 40%.
Clear Aligners: At first, clear aligners were only suggested for minor crooked teeth. But today, they can effectively align more severe cases of crooked teeth and bad bites, sometimes with the help of attachments and rubber bands, like what’s used with braces. Clear aligners are worn approximately 20-22 hours a day, and you remove them for eating, cleaning your teeth, and drinking anything other than water. We offer both Invisalign and 3M™ Clarity™ Aligners for clear aligner treatment.
Surgery: Sometimes, surgical extractions are required to help fix severe crowding. Typically, surgery is followed by braces or clear aligner treatment.
Retainers: Once the active phase of your orthodontic treatment is complete with your braces or clear aligners, you enter the retention phase — orthodontics with a retainer. Yes, wearing a retainer is necessary to lock in and maintain your teeth’s new alignment. Typically, you wear a retainer 24/7 for the first 3 months, then only wear it at night. Then, as we like to say, “It’s night-time for lifetime!”
Say Goodbye To Crooked Teeth With Your Denver-area Orthodontist
Whether the causes of your crooked teeth are genetic, environmental, circumstantial, or a mix of these, you can trust your Denver bite-correction experts to design an orthodontic treatment plan that results in strong, stunning, and stable teeth.
Contact your board-certified orthodontists — Dr. Moran and Dr. White — for an initial consultation at our Denver, Granby, Winter Park, or Centennial office. We’ll help you say goodbye to crooked teeth and hello to a strong and beautiful smile!