Sometimes it’s baffling to think about how the teeth grow into place as well as shift and move on occasion. It’s hard to understand why the teeth are meant to be aligned–but they’re not aligned most of the time. Unfortunately, there are things in the world today that can cause misaligned teeth, and our orthodontist, Dr. Traci Saito, is happy to tell you all about them.

The first cause is the natural ways the teeth and mouth develop. Sometimes genetics can play a large role in this, which is something you obviously can’t control. It has to do with having extra teeth, large teeth, missing teeth, and small jaws. These things would cause a crowded mouth, which means the teeth would be tempted to move behind or in front of their neighboring teeth because of the close proximity in the mouth.

The second cause is unnatural pressure to the teeth from habits and outside sources. These are things like thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, and a poor breathing airway caused by enlarged tonsils. The pressure applied by these things can encourage the teeth to move and shift, which can create a misaligned smile.

To learn more about crooked teeth in the Camas, Washington area,  please reach out to our orthodontic team at Brown-Saito Orthodontics at your earliest convenience. When you dial 360-256-7220, we will be here to help you in any way we can!