Why Do Teeth Shift Over Time? Causes and Solutions
(Part 1)
Believe it or not, teeth actually do shift over time. Teeth shifting, also known as tooth shifting, is when the tooth or a set of teeth shift position in your jaw, which can cause crowding, wider tooth gaps, and so on.
This shift is due to various factors, which include oral habits like clenching or grinding your teeth, tooth loss, aging, and jawbone or hormonal changes.
A lot of things can change in your mouth whenever a gap is created, such as a change in your bite, spacing between your teeth, and—in worst cases—even loss of your teeth.
Some cases of teeth shifting require dental treatment or dentist oversight.
Teeth Aren’t Immovable Objects Set in Stone
Teeth positioning is supposed to shift over time as the child grows to adulthood and their jaw lengthens enough to let milk teeth fall and permanent teeth erupt.
However, this is also true of adults and their permanent teeth. Teeth positioning is more malleable during puberty, but it can also be influenced in adulthood. In reality, teeth can shift their position over time past childhood.
Many stimuli and conditions can cause your teeth to move toward each other and crowd together or shift away from each other and create wider gaps between themselves.
This movement can cause alignment problems for you over time and give your smile some unsightly gaps, thus requiring corrective measures like orthodontics.
Why Do Teeth Reposition Themselves in The First Place?
Here’s the deal. The tooth is attached to its socket by the gomphosis, which is a fibrous joint. Meanwhile, the periodontal ligament connects the socket to the outer layer of the tooth’s roots.
This very ligament securely holds the tooth. However, it can also move and stretch under the right conditions or stimuli.
This shift in teeth position is due to several factors, which include the following:
- Aging, which influences the change in shape of your jaw.
- The pressure or stimuli you get from talking to eating and even childhood habits like thumb-sucking.
- Your teeth tend to shift back to their original positions after undergoing orthodontics (braces or aligners) if you don’t wear retainers to retain their shape.
- Health issues such as teeth grinding and gum disease or complications from vices like smoking and drinking.
Regardless of the reason for the shift—from aging to hormones—once there’s space for the teeth to move on the jaw, they will move.
This can lead to complications like throwing your bite out of alignment (malocclusion), among other issues. Indeed, you should learn the basic causes, effects, and treatments associated with shifting teeth.
You can also use preventative measures to either preserve teeth placement or improve them depending on what you wish to happen. All the same, here are some key points to help guide your way to a better smile.