Crooked teeth, which are malocclusions, are a problem that a person develops in his childhood. Similar violations are detected in almost 90% of adults. At the same time, almost half of them require turning to the orthodontist for help. 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 in a person should overlap the lower. In this case, the bite is considered correct. However, in all newborns, when the birth of the light, the lower jaw relative to the upper is slightly extended forward. Their similar arrangement is provided by nature. After all, this allows the baby to eat more comfortably, easily capturing the nipple. With the growth of the baby, the lower jaw moves slightly back and takes its intended place. At this time, the bite begins to form, which is initially milky, but later it becomes permanent.
However, crooked teeth often grow in children. Why this is happening, experts do not know for sure. Doctors noted only the main factors leading to the development of this pathology. Among them:
- Heredity. More often in children, crooked teeth appear if the same phenomenon is observed in their parents.
- Features nutrition. Infants who are fed from a bottle on which a nipple with a large hole is installed do not make much 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 young children are soft and supple. That is why the habit of sucking fingers, a pacifier, continuing to drink from a bottle after a year, as well as biting your nails or biting your lip very often leads to malocclusion.
- Chronic diseases With tonsillitis, adenoids, persistent colds 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 crowded, and they begin to grow crooked.
- Type of feeding. In babies, which the mother applies to the breast for a long period, the formation of the correct bite is much better.
- Violations in the overall development, including teething.
- Speech therapies. These, in particular, include an anatomically large language.
Pathologies of deciduous teeth
Significant stages in human development occur during the period of intrauterine development. So, already in the first months of pregnancy of a woman, the fetus begins to form the rudiments of milk teeth. That is why their condition will be further affected by the lifestyle of the future mother and the features of her nutrition.
The first teeth in children are usually flat and are located close to each other. 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 cracks. Such gaps often cause parental concern. However, do not worry about this. Particular attention will be required only for uneven gaps, indicating asymmetric development of the jaw plates.
Sometimes in children the first teeth are crooked. Despite the fact that they are milky, you should not turn a blind eye to the problem, assuming that with age everything will form by itself. If a young child has crooked teeth, what should mom and dad do? Take your child to a dentist consultation. After all, such a phenomenon can cause abnormal development of the rudiments of already permanent teeth. A timely solution to the problem will not allow some other serious consequences.
Pathology of permanent teeth
Sometimes the need to visit the dentist arises in those cases when the baby is replaced by the abnormal bite. Its good and straight milk teeth change to constant, crooked ones.
Sometimes this feature is considered the norm. So, when the child's crooked front teeth erupt, in most cases you should not worry. Gradually, when they go 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 onto each other, lining up, sometimes in two rows. Often the child’s tooth grows crookedly due to untimely removal of the milk tooth located in its place.
Danger of malocclusion
The first problem of crooked teeth is aesthetic. The child gradually gets older and begins to suffer more from this deficiency.
However, the danger of crooked teeth is not only a cosmetic defect. An abnormal bite sometimes becomes the cause of the development of various pathological conditions.
With curvature of the teeth, brushing is greatly complicated. After all, getting to such a surface can be very difficult. In addition, pieces of food often get stuck between the teeth due to the curvature of the teeth. A similar phenomenon is one of the factors in the development of caries.
With a malocclusion, inflammatory processes in the gums are often observed. This is explained by the formation of periodontal pockets. They occur in the interval between crooked teeth and are the cause of the development of periodontitis. In this case, in the oral cavity there is a constant focus of chronic infection. A similar phenomenon leads to the appearance of many ailments, including pathologies of the digestive system and respiratory tract.
Another problem with malocclusion is poor chewing of food. This leads to gastrointestinal diseases.
Specialists also note that crooked teeth in a child often cause wedge-shaped defects. This pathology, the symptoms of which are uncomfortable sensations during the intake of cold or acidic food.
Very crooked teeth in a child sometimes cause him to develop speech defects. It is also affected by malocclusion. 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 permanent trauma to the oral cavity. Crooked teeth have a negative effect on the mucous membrane, on which ulcers subsequently form.
But the most serious consequence of malocclusion is the development of the pathology of the temporomandibular joint. In this state, he begins to hurt, a crunch and click appears in him. Uncomfortable sensations also arise in the area of ​​the masticatory muscles. The child begins to have headaches. The jaws are constantly tense. Such a pathology can be treated with great difficulty. It is much easier to take measures to prevent it.
See a doctor
What should I do if parents noticed their child’s crooked teeth at a very young age, and do not want to put off the problem? For this, mothers and fathers need to take their child to the orthodontist. This is recommended for the first time at the age of a child from 3 to 5 years. This is the time when the pathology of the dentition is already becoming apparent, and there is the possibility of their correction. The sooner the correction of the anomaly begins, the easier the treatment will be, and the less it will bring with it unpleasant sensations.
At the first appointment, the orthodontist will examine the baby and give direction to a panoramic picture of the jaw. After receiving it, the doctor immediately gives a conclusion about whether all the molars are formed in the child, and whether there are any incorrectly located ones. Only after that it becomes clear whether treatment is required, and what you need to pay attention to first.
Methods for eliminating abnormal bite
How to fix crooked teeth in a child? The following measures will allow you to smooth out an abnormal bite:
- To correct the curvature of milk teeth, children select a special nipple. This item will allow you to separate the tongue and teeth.
- Older kids, orthodontists are prescribed special plates. They will eliminate the causes of curvature.
- From 7 to 12 years old, children are set up with trainers and mouth guards. These are soft devices for eliminating malocclusion.
- To correct crooked teeth in children 10-12 years old, use braces. The course of treatment with such structures sometimes takes a long period of time.
Let's consider these constructions in more detail.
Dummy Nipples
What should be done in order to form the correct bite from the very birth of the baby, and so that parents in the future do not see that the child has a crooked tooth or even more than one? For this, some manufacturers produce special pacifiers, which repeat the shape of female nipples. These products, made of latex, are made with the correct anatomy, which from the very birth of the baby allows him to form the correct bite. Such pacifiers are used up to six months of age.
What if parents after this period notice that their child is constantly pulling a finger in their mouth, which could cause him to form a malocclusion? In this case, they are advised 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.
Similar designs are used either constantly or periodically. Everything will depend on the doctor’s recommendations. Orthodontic nipples are used for babies from the age of 6 months 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 muscle work, as well as stimulate the proper development of the jaw bones. All this in total will allow the child to form the correct bite.
Training plates are convenient in that they are removable and do not require constant use. Structurally, they consist of:
- hooks;
- cogs;
- elastic springs;
- plastic parts.
Such orthodontic appliances are made individually for each patient. That is why such designs are very effective in combating malocclusion in children.
Remove the training plate from the oral cavity in order to brush your teeth or eat. The main task of parents is to explain to the child the importance of such a procedure. Moms and dads will need to constantly monitor their child, as well as make sure that he does not remove the plate. After all, the complexity of early treatment is precisely in persuading the child to regularly wear an orthodontic design.
Trainers
The production of such orthodontic constructions, designed to eliminate the problem of malocclusion, is carried out by individual specialized firms. The material for the manufacture of trainers is high-quality silicone.
The design of these devices is removable. The device is prescribed to be worn for a limited amount of time. It is only three hours at night or in the afternoon. To find the right position for the teeth allows material trainers.
Assign the wearing of such structures with a malocclusion, which is called "crowded teeth." Wearing such devices is almost imperceptible and does not cause discomfort in children during communication.
Orthodontists trainers recommend their little patients from 5 to 8 years of age. It was during this period that such designs allow you to get the best possible result.
Capa
With the help of such devices, it is possible to align a number of teeth, which allows you to restore the child’s correct bite. Mouthguards are orthodontic constructions that are made individually for each child. Such devices are effective for non-serious bite anomalies.
Braces
How can we correct the problem of malocclusion in children over the age of six?
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 onto the teeth using special dental glue.
- Metal arcs. These parts have shape memory, which allows them to stretch their teeth.
- Pigatures. Such elements are necessary for fastening the arcs to the locks.
For the manufacture of braces currently used metal or plastic, ceramic or artificial sapphire. Similar systems on the entire jaw are installed by the orthodontist only in those cases when all molars have already been cut. The age threshold for wearing such braces is 10-12 years.
Veneers
You can fix crooked teeth without braces. For this, very popular veneers are used today. When wearing them, the patient does not experience any discomfort or inconvenience. In addition, veneers installed on crooked teeth, in addition to alignment, also make them snow-white.
What is this design? 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, of the front teeth, but sometimes they are also installed on the side teeth. Such products are made of zirconium oxide, composite materials or ceramics.
Adult problems
It is worth remembering that the doctor can only act on bones and muscles, as well as somehow change their position and growth, in childhood. After the final formation of the skeleton, this is impossible. Correction is subject only to the position of the teeth in the lower and upper row. And this often does not bring the proper result. In order to correct crooked teeth in adults, sometimes the release of the jaw arch is required. To do this, some of them are simply deleted.
Sometimes in adults who had a good bite in childhood, it spoils due to rudiments. Under this concept are the teeth of wisdom. They, along with the auricles, caudal vertebrae and the celiac process (appendicitis), have lost their original purpose, which was assigned to them at the beginning of the evolutionary process of the human body. Often wisdom teeth begin to grow towards the cheeks. A similar direction injures the mucous membrane. In addition, due to difficulties in clearing this space, a plaque often occurs here, contributing to the development of caries. A crooked wisdom tooth, inclined to the entire row, bends it and leads to malocclusion. 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 the foci of inflammation in the oral cavity.