Why to Some Children's Teeth Grow Crooked?

by Kevin Smith Author

Crooked teeth can make your children feel insecure or even ashamed of how they look. Sadly, there's little that you can do to prevent teeth from growing in a crooked way, either overlapping each other, crowding, protruding, or causing other oral problems. Sometimes, a child's teeth can grow in such a crooked formation that it can affect how they eat, speak, and perform physical activity. Any children with crooked teeth should visit a local family dentist in San Antonio, TX, for treatment, which may or may not include orthodontic devices like braces.

Understanding the causes is an important part of parenting. These are the most common causes of crooked teeth.

Genetic Predisposition

You may be to blame for your child's crooked teeth. Genetics is a major contributor to abnormal tooth growth patterns. Like trying to control your child's eye color or skin color, attempting to control how their teeth grow in is a fruitless effort because it was decided at birth how their teeth would develop. These traits can be taken from both or either parent. Sometimes, genetic predisposition to crooked teeth can skip a generation. In other words, just because you and your spouse have neat teeth and have never needed braces, the same may not be true for your child.

Habits During Infancy

While you might feel at a loss, you should know that the way you parent your child during infancy can prevent crooked teeth from developing. For instance, thumb sucking or the overuse of a pacifier can lead to the development of crooked or crowded teeth, possibly due to the mouth being in a curved position for such long periods of time. Other bad habits that can affect later tooth growth include breathing through the mouth, tongue thrusting, or chewing on harsh objects while teething. Try to break these habits early.

Trauma

Traumatic injuries to the face or jaw can affect tooth growth later in life. Whether your or not your child had teeth at the time, a traumatic injury may have permanently affected how their teeth will grow. In addition, early loss of baby teeth due to poor oral hygiene, rough brushing, or injury can lead to very crooked adult teeth. The adult teeth in your mouth will follow the pattern the baby teeth set, and if they're lost before adult teeth develop under the gums, their teeth will protrude without a guide, shifting into some unexpected formations.

Whatever the cause may have been, a family dentist in San Antonio, TX, can help your child develop a healthy, neat, and straight smile. Though orthodontic devices may be needed, this is much better for your child in the long run than allowing them to live with a smile that makes them feel uncomfortable or live with poor oral health.