Irregular Teeth

Cause

Hereditary factor:

• Mismatch in the sizes of upper and lower jaws

"Projected upper teeth" results if the upper jaw is much longer than the lower jaw. "Reversed bite" results if the upper jaw is smaller than the lower jaw.

Projected Teeth

Reversed Bite

• Abnormal number of teeth

Normally one should have 28 permanent teeth (excluding the third molars). If the number of teeth is more than that, the jaw may not have enough space for all the teeth to align properly. If there are too few teeth, there may be spaces between the teeth and the teeth may look irregular.

• Mismatching in tooth and the jaw sizes

If the tooth size is too big,or the jaw size is too small, the jaw may not have enough space for all the teeth to align. If the tooth size is too small or the jaw size is too large, there will be spaces between the teeth and the teeth will look irregular.

Environmental factor:

• Early loss of deciduous teeth

If a deciduous tooth is lost prematurely, the adjacent teeth on either side will migrate towards the space of the lost tooth, closing up the space. The reduced space will not allow the succeeding permanent tooth to erupt into good alignment.

• Bad habits

Bad habits such as digit sucking and biting on a pen can induce pressure on the teeth and push them into an abnormal position.

• Development of oral disease due to lack of proper oral care and treatment:

 • Dental caries
Severe dental caries in the adjacent tooth surface will cause the neighbouring tooth to tip over and take up the space, and the teeth will become irregular.

 • Periodontal disease
Severe periodontal disease will result in the loss of bone support to the teeth. The teeth will then drift to abnormal positions.

• Lost of teeth due to oral diseases (such as dental caries and periodontal disease) or traumatic injury can cause drifting of adjacent teeth.

How to avoid irregular teeth?

• Irregular teeth caused by hereditary factor are unavoidable.

• To prevent irregular teeth caused by environmental factors, you should:
  • refrain from bad habits such as digit sucking, pen biting.
  • receive proper oral care and treatment to prevent tooth loss and drifting of teeth.

Management

• Clean the teeth thoroughly, especially at areas with irregular teeth. You can clean the area with an interdental brush or toothbrush with a small head.

• Seek professional advice from an orthodontist to see whether an orthodontic treatment is necessary.