When you have too many teeth, you can crowd your mouth and jaw, leading to life-long oral issues. In other words, crowding is the lack of space for all your teeth to fit normally within your jaws, causing the teeth to twist or displace. An uneven tooth-to-jaw size relationship is to blame for this happenstance, which can also be attributed to the teeth being larger than the space available.
Crowding can be the result of genetics or by the early or late loss of primary teeth. Sometimes, when the teeth erupt, they fill in incorrectly. Because there’s simply not enough space, the teeth may grow into each other, slanted, uneven, and twisted. One may grow behind or in front of another tooth, which can push the other teeth out of alignment as well. It’s like a domino effect!
As a result, you need to correct this as soon as possible through braces for many reasons, such as:
- To ensure thorough cleaning of all tooth surfaces
- To prevent the risk of gum disease
- To enhance the proper function of the teeth
- To prevent tooth grinding at night, leading to damage and TMJ disorder
- To enhance your smile
Remedies
The best way to fix crowding of teeth is to get orthodontic treatment. But first, sometimes, extra space must be created by removing one or several teeth. Then, once braces are placed on the teeth, they can straighten and re-align the teeth to get rid of all that crowding. When you correct crowding problems, you’re doing your part to keep dental decay and periodontal disease at bay. If you physically can’t reach certain sections of your teeth because they are pushing up against each other, you can’t brush away the plaque that builds up. This leads to tooth decay and gum disease – two things you don’t want to experience at any age.
When brackets or clear aligners are applied to the teeth, they put force on the teeth to push them into position.
Crowding will get worse over time if not treated. Usually, by age 11-12, you should have this tended to, as all baby teeth should have fallen out by this point. Whether due to genetic or environmental reasons, crowding isn’t something that should be left untreated.
Here at Drs. Savage, Sabol and Visser, we treat crowding cases every single day. It’s a fairly common affliction to both kids and adults, but it can be easily corrected through the use of braces. Not sure if you need them? Come in for a complimentary consultation and we’ll take a look!
