Crooked teeth, which are an anomaly of bite, is a problem that a person develops in childhood. Similar violations are detected in almost 90% of adults. At the same time, almost half of them need to seek help from an orthodontist. Why do crooked teeth grow in children? What is the danger of this phenomenon, and in what ways is this pathology corrected?
Causes of malocclusion
The upper jaw of a person should overlap the lower. In this case, the bite is considered correct. However, in all newborns, when they are born, the lower jaw is slightly pushed forward in relation to the upper one. Their similar arrangement is provided by nature. After all, this allows the baby to eat more conveniently, easily grabbing the nipple. With the growth of the baby, the lower jaw moves back a little and takes its place. At this time, the bite begins to form, which at first is milky, but a little later it becomes permanent.
However, oftencrooked teeth grow in children. Why this happens, experts do not know for sure. Doctors noted only the main factors leading to the development of this pathology. Among them:
- Heredity. Most often, crooked teeth appear in children if the same phenomenon is observed in their parents.
- Features of nutrition. Babies who are bottle-fed with a large-hole nipple don't make much of an effort to get the food they need. At the same time, children are deprived of stimulation of tooth growth. Their maxillofacial joint does not develop due to lack of load. A similar picture is observed in the absence of hard food in babies.
- Bad habits. The bones of small children are soft and pliable. That is why the habit of sucking fingers, a pacifier, continuing to drink from a bottle after a year, and biting your nails or biting your lip very often leads to bite pathology.
- Chronic diseases. With tonsillitis, adenoids, constant runny nose and other similar diseases, nasal breathing is disturbed. It is carried out only through the mouth. The result of this phenomenon is the narrowing of the jaw arches. The teeth become cramped and begin to grow crooked.
- Type of feeding. Babies who are breastfed for a long time by their mothers develop a better bite.
- Disturbances in general development, including teething.
- Speech pathology. These include, in particular, an anatomically large tongue.
Pathologiesbaby teeth
Significant stages in human development occur during the period of its intrauterine development. So, already in the first months of a woman's pregnancy, the rudiments of milk teeth are formed in the fetus. That is why the lifestyle of the future mother and the peculiarities of her diet will affect their condition in the future.
Children's first teeth are usually even and close together. But with the growth of the baby, his jaw also increases in size. This causes the teeth to move apart. Between them there are uniform gaps. Such gaps often cause concern for parents. However, there is no need to worry about this. Only uneven gaps, indicating asymmetric development of the jaw plates, will require special attention.
Sometimes children's first teeth are crooked. Despite the fact that they are dairy, you should not close your eyes to the problem, assuming that with age everything will form by itself. If a small child has crooked teeth, what should moms and dads do? Take your child to see a dentist. After all, such a phenomenon can cause improper development of the rudiments of already permanent teeth. A timely solution to the problem will prevent some other serious consequences.
Pathologies of permanent teeth
Sometimes the need to visit the dentist also arises in cases where the baby's correct bite is replaced by an abnormal one. His good and straight milk teeth are changing to permanent crooked teeth.
Sometimes this feature is considered the norm. So when a childcrooked front teeth erupt, in most cases you should not worry. Gradually, when going outside, they unfold. Their normal position is ensured by the growth of the jaws. There is more room for initially crooked teeth. This allows them to crack down.
But sometimes the growth of the jaws is not so fast. In this case, crooked molars grow. After all, they simply do not have enough space. They are not located directly, and can even crawl on top of each other, lining up, sometimes, in two rows. Often a child's tooth grows crooked due to the untimely removal of a milk tooth in its place.
Danger of malocclusion
The first problem with crooked teeth is aesthetic. The child gradually grows older and begins to suffer more and more from this deficiency.
However, the danger of crooked teeth is not only a cosmetic defect. Abnormal bite sometimes causes the development of various pathological conditions.
Curved teeth make cleaning difficult. After all, getting to such a surface can be very difficult. In addition, due to the curvature of the teeth, pieces of food often get stuck between them. A similar phenomenon is one of the factors in the development of caries.
In case of malocclusion, inflammatory processes in the gums are often observed. This is explained by the formation of periodontal pockets. They occur between crooked teeth and are the cause of periodontitis. In this case, there is a permanent focus of chronic infection in the oral cavity. Similar phenomenonleads to the appearance of many ailments, including pathologies of the digestive system and respiratory tract.
Another problem of malocclusion is poor-quality chewing of food. This leads to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Specialists also note that crooked teeth in a child often cause wedge-shaped defects. This pathology, the symptoms of which are discomfort during the intake of cold or sour food.
Very crooked teeth in a child sometimes cause speech defects. This is also affected by the wrong bite. After all, it does not allow the free development of the baby's speech apparatus.
Sometimes crooked teeth lead to the development of chronic stomatitis. Pathology occurs due to constant injury to the oral cavity. Crooked teeth have a negative effect on the mucous membrane, on which ulcers subsequently form.
But the most severe consequence of malocclusion is the development of pathology of the temporomandibular joint. In this state, he begins to hurt, a crunch and clicking appears in him. Discomfort also occurs in the chewing muscles. The child has headaches. The jaws are constantly tense. Such a pathology can be treated with great difficulty. It is much easier to take action to prevent it.
Going to the doctor
What to do if parents noticed crooked teeth in their child at a very early age, and do not want to postpone the problem indefinitely? To do this, moms and dads need to take theirchild to the orthodontist. It is recommended to do this for the first time at the age of a child from 3 to 5 years. This is the time when pathologies of the dentoalveolar apparatus are already becoming obvious, and there is a possibility of their correction. The sooner the correction of the anomaly begins, the easier the treatment will be, and the less discomfort it will bring.
At the first appointment, the orthodontist will examine the baby and give a direction for a panoramic x-ray of the jaw. Having received it, the doctor immediately gives an opinion on whether all the molars are formed in the child, and whether there are any incorrectly located among them. Only after that it becomes clear whether treatment is required, and what you need to pay attention to first of all.
Methods for correcting abnormal bite
How to fix crooked teeth in a child? Align the abnormal bite will allow the following activities:
- To correct the curvature of milk teeth, children are selected with a special nipple. This item will separate the tongue from the teeth.
- For older babies, orthodontists prescribe special plates. They will eliminate the causes of the curvature.
- From 7 to 12 years old, children are fitted with trainers and mouthguards. These are soft devices to eliminate the pathology of the bite.
- Brackets are used to correct crooked teeth in children aged 10-12. The course of treatment with such structures sometimes takes a long period of time.
Let's consider these constructions in more detail.
Pacifiers
What to do in order to form the correct bite from the very birth of the baby, and so that parents indid not see in the future that the child has a crooked tooth or even more than one? To do this, some manufacturers produce special pacifiers that mimic the shape of women's nipples. These products, made of latex, are made with the correct anatomy, which allows the formation of a correct bite from the very birth of a child. These pacifiers are used up to six months of age.
What to do if after this period parents notice that their child constantly puts his finger in his mouth, which can cause him to develop a malocclusion? In this case, they are recommended to purchase a vestibular plate for the baby. This orthodontic design is designed to reduce the pressure that the tongue exerts on the front teeth, and also works to normalize its position. Using the vestibular plate allows you to unload the masticatory muscles and wean the child from many bad habits.
Such designs are used either constantly or periodically. Everything will depend on the recommendations of the doctor. Orthodontic nipples are used for babies from 6 months of age until they reach 1.5-2 years.
Training plates
Such orthodontic appliances are used to correct crooked teeth in children from 5 years old. Training plates allow you to rebuild the work of the muscles, as well as stimulate the proper development of the jaw bones. All this together will allow the child to form the correct bite.
TrainingThe plates are convenient in that they are removable and do not require constant use. Structurally, they consist of:
- hooks;
- cogs;
- elastic springs;
- plastic part.
Such orthodontic appliances are made for each patient individually. That is why such designs are very effective in the fight against malocclusion in children.
Remove the practice plate from the mouth to brush teeth or eat. The main task of parents in this case is to explain to the child the importance of such a procedure. Moms and dads will need to constantly monitor their child, and also make sure that he does not remove the plate. After all, the difficulty of early treatment lies precisely in persuading the child to wear orthodontic construction regularly.
Trainers
The production of such orthodontic structures, designed to eliminate the problem of malocclusion, is carried out by separate specialized firms. The material for the manufacture of trainers is high-quality silicone.
The design of these devices is removable. The device is intended to be worn for a limited amount of time. It's only three hours, night or day. The material of the trainers allows you to find the right position for the teeth.
Assign the wearing of such structures with a bite defect, which is called "teeth crowding". Wearing such devices is almost imperceptible and does not cause discomfort in children during communication.
Trainers are recommended by orthodontists for their little patients from 5 to 8 years of age. It is during this period that such designs allow you to get the best possible result.
Caps
With the help of such devices, it is possible to align a number of teeth, which allows you to restore the correct bite in a child. Mouthguards are orthodontic structures that are made for each child individually. Such devices are effective for non-serious bite anomalies.
Braces
How can malocclusion in children over the age of six be corrected?
This can be done through the use of braces. These are orthodontic systems in the form of a fixed structure, which include:
- Locks. These elements are glued to the teeth with a special dental adhesive.
- Metal arcs. These parts have shape memory, which allows them to pull teeth.
- Pigatures. Such elements are necessary for attaching the arcs to the locks.
Brackets are currently made of metal or plastic, ceramic or artificial sapphire. Such systems for the entire jaw are installed by an orthodontist only in those cases when all the molars have already erupted. The age threshold for wearing such braces is 10-12 years old.
Veneers
You can fix crooked teeth without braces. For this, veneers are very popular today. When wearing them, the patient does not experienceno discomfort or inconvenience. In addition, veneers installed on crooked teeth, in addition to leveling, also make them snow-white.
What kind of construction is this? A veneer is a plate that is glued to the outside of the tooth to eliminate its imperfections. These devices are indispensable for:
- increasing the length of short teeth in a row;
- visual elimination of chips and stains on enamel;
- masking spaces in a row.
At the same time, veneers installed on crooked teeth perfectly cope with the problem of malocclusion. In some cases, they are used as an alternative to braces. Veneers are used to correct defects, as a rule, in the front teeth, but sometimes they are also installed on the side teeth. Such products are made from zirconium oxide, composite materials or ceramics.
Adult issues
It is worth remembering that a doctor can only affect bones and muscles, as well as somehow change their position and growth, only in childhood. After the final formation of the skeleton, this cannot be done. Only the position of the teeth in the lower and upper row is subject to correction. And this often does not bring the desired result. In order to correct crooked teeth in adults, the release of the jaw arch is sometimes required. To do this, some of them are simply removed.
Sometimes in adults who had a good bite in childhood, it deteriorates due to the appearance of rudiments. Wisdom teeth are hidden under this concept. They, along withear muscles, tail vertebrae and the appendix (appendicitis), have lost their original purpose, which they were assigned at the beginning of the evolutionary process of the human body. Often, wisdom teeth begin to grow towards the cheek. This direction injures the mucosa. In addition, due to the difficulties in cleaning this space, plaque often occurs here, contributing to the development of caries. A crooked wisdom tooth, inclined to the entire row, distorts it and leads to an anomaly of bite. What to do in this case? In such a situation, the wisdom tooth is simply removed. This will not only correct the bite, but also eliminate foci of inflammation in the oral cavity.
