Smile aesthetics change as adults age, which is one reason why adult orthodontics is becoming so popular!
If your teeth have been perfectly straight for the vast majority of your adult life, then it’s likely that you can thank your genetics or orthodontic treatment that you received as a teenager for your beautiful smile.
What’s unfortunate is that many people neglect wearing their retainers long enough after their orthodontic treatment was completed, and this slowly but surely leads to their teeth shifting back to where they once were prior to having braces or invisible aligners.
In some scenarios, it’s simply natural for an individual’s teeth to shift as they get older. This is one of the many reasons why adult orthodontic treatment has become increasingly popular in recent years, and now a significant percentage of all orthodontic patients are grown adults.
Below we’ll be going over a few of the common reasons why adults experience crooked teeth as they age, and how the JK Orthodontics team can help you efficiently adjust these issues!
Common Changes That We See In Our Adult Patients
Our team supports many adults undergoing orthodontic treatment, so we’ve seen our fair share of teeth shifts that are primarily caused by aging. Some of the common changes that we see within our adult patients include the following:
1. Crowded Bottom Front Teeth
What a lot of people don’t realize is that our jaw bones eventually start to lose density and become smaller over time, and this natural shrinkage in our jaw bones can end up causing teeth crowding in the bottom arch. This type of orthodontic issue occurs rather frequently, even with adults who went through treatment earlier in life and were good about wearing their retainers.
When we refer to the phrase crowding, we simply mean that your bottom teeth aren’t quite lining up like they once did. Although crowding can occur anywhere within the mouth, one of the most common places for crowding is within an individual’s bottom front teeth.
The good news about this type of crowding is that it’s relatively straightforward to correct, and many adult patients will choose to get Line-M-Up™ so they can straighten their bottom teeth without anyone even realizing they’re going through orthodontic treatment!
2. Front Tooth Gap
Diastema is the technical terminology for a gap between your two front teeth, and this gap usually develops when your gum tissue grows too much or when your teeth become too small for your jaw bone. Improper swallowing reflexes can also cause front tooth gaps, and this is because these reflexes can exert extra pressure on your front teeth.
Gum disease also is a major cause for this type of gap in adults, and some of the common symptoms of gum disease are persistently swollen, red or bleeding gums.
3. Bite Problems
It’s relatively normal for an individual’s teeth to start wearing down as they get older, and many people lose some teeth due to disease or injury as well. So there are many factors that come into play when it comes to an adult experiencing a misaligned bite.
If your bite is misaligned, you may start seeing detrimental ripple effects towards other parts of your head through jaw pain, chronic headaches, a ringing in your ears, or other types of uncomfortable symptoms.
Post-Orthodontic Teeth Shifting
There are many instances in which adults come to our offices for further treatment after obtaining orthodontic treatment earlier in life, and this may be partly due to the lack of industry advancements many decades ago.
That’s why it’s so important for parents to remind their kids about how crucial it is to continuously wear their retainers after their treatment is over, because wearing your retainers on a nightly basis will go a very long way towards keeping your teeth in the ideal position for many years to come.
And if your retainer doesn’t fit anymore, you can always reach out to us and we’ll get you a new one!
You Can Strengthen Your Smile No Matter How Old You Are With The Help Of The JK Orthodontics Specialists!
No one has to live with any unwanted teeth shifts or changes to their smile, and what’s great about adult orthodontic treatment is that it many times is very efficient. We offer traditional metal braces and our cutting-edge invisible aligner technology called Line-M-Up™ to support all sorts of misalignments and crowding issues.
Reach out to us online or call us at 614-766-0330 (Dublin office) or 614-471-6355 (Gahanna office) to get in touch with our team and let us know how we can support you and your efforts towards regaining a beautiful, healthy smile!