{"id":256,"date":"2024-10-17T06:28:41","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T06:28:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.billpoedds.com\/blog\/?p=256"},"modified":"2024-11-15T06:28:50","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T06:28:50","slug":"what-causes-teeth-to-shift-over-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.billpoedds.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/17\/what-causes-teeth-to-shift-over-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Crooked Matters: What Causes Teeth to Shift Over Time?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A smile looks and works best when it’s (among other things) perfectly straight and aligned. That said, you may wonder: What causes your teeth to shift over time? This shifting issue<\/a> keeps you from having a thriving mouth, leading to a lower quality of life. Well, you’re in luck; your Los Alamitos dentist can address your dental question. Just keep reading to learn the causes of shifting teeth and how dentistry can correct them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Makes Teeth Slowly Shift?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While teeth can shift for many reasons, the most common ones are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natural Jaw Changes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Though you likely didn\u2019t know, your jaw\u2019s structure will naturally change as you age. This process can gradually lead to shifting teeth, smile gaps, and dental crowding. In fact, your jawbone shifting forward may cause your lower teeth to push the upper ones out of place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teeth Grinding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Besides causing wear and tear, grinding your teeth can also make them shift. The habit often wears down the enamel in a way that results in odd alignment issues. Plus, the pressure from clenching your jaw can slowly move teeth out of position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tongue Thrusting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As it turns out, your tongue\u2019s placement can shift your teeth with pressure. Those with a \u201ctongue thrust\u201d would involuntarily push their tongue against their teeth when talking and resting. From there, the resulting force would create a gap between the forward upper and lower teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Missing Teeth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re missing a tooth, your \u201csmile gap\u201d can make adjacent and opposite teeth move. Your other teeth will naturally shift to fill the space, whether through lateral or vertical movement. This process can cause a crooked smile in the short term and further tooth loss in the long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gum Disease<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By destroying gum and jaw tissue, gum disease can indirectly cause your teeth to shift. It can also spread to surrounding tissue if it\u2019s left untreated long enough. Should that happen, you\u2019d suffer even worse side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Could a Dentist Correct Them?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s never great to have shifting teeth, but you needn\u2019t worry \u2013 dentists can correct them. Some of their solutions include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n