Share on PinterestCredit image: dardespot/Getty Images Show Though you can’t see it happening, your teeth are always on the move. Even after you’ve had braces or other dental work, your teeth will continue to shift ever so slightly throughout your life. This movement is due to several factors, including:
There are some steps you can take to help keep your teeth in a healthy alignment. Read on to learn why teeth shift and what you can do to minimize their movement. If you’ve had braces or other orthodontic procedures to correct tooth alignment, your teeth have been moved from their natural positions. Once your braces are removed or you stop wearing alignment trays such as Invisalign, your teeth may start to shift back to their old positions. This is natural. The movement may be more pronounced in some people, while others may experience very little movement. People who have a fixed or lingual retainer, which is a retainer permanently bonded to your teeth after orthodontic treatment, are also at risk of some tooth movement. However, research published in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics suggests that most of the time, tooth shifting happens if one of the retainer’s bonds breaks or if the retainer wasn’t bonded properly. Another reason teeth might move after braces is related to the health of your gums and jawbone. If bone loss has occurred as a result of gum disease or another health problem, it’s harder for your teeth to stay anchored in place once your braces come off. If you’ve had a tooth extracted, the surrounding teeth may start to shift to try to fill the space. Wisdom tooth removal may not cause any major problems. Many people get along fine for the rest of their lives after having their wisdom teeth or other rear molars pulled. The greater risk is in losing a canine tooth or incisor. The teeth on either side may shift toward each other in the new space left by the extraction. The best way to avoid this problem is to replace missing teeth with dental implants or a bridge that spans the space of the missing tooth or teeth. Your teeth are under a variety of stresses 24 hours a day. Simply talking and pushing your tongue against your teeth to make certain sounds can put pressure on your teeth. Smiling, sneezing, and coughing cause the muscles of your face and mouth to move, adding more pressure to your teeth. Those minor stressors may cause very minor changes to tooth alignment, but those changes may be enough to consider braces in adulthood. Other, more substantial, factors may cause tooth movement over time. These include: Jawbone growthAs you get older, your jawbone grows forward and becomes narrower. At first this can cause your lower teeth to become more crowded. Over time, the change in your bottom teeth can affect your bite, causing a shift in your upper teeth. The changes may be so slight that nothing needs to be done. But some people may need tooth extraction and bridgework or implants to correct their bite. Gum diseaseGum disease, or periodontitis, weakens the gums that help keep teeth in place. Loose or shifting teeth are one of many serious complications of gum disease, according to the American Dental Association. Teeth grindingGrinding your teeth may not only wear down your teeth but also cause them to shift over time. This condition, called bruxism, is very common. In a 2016 survey of more than 6,000 people, 8.6 percent reported grinding their teeth during sleep. And a 2013 review published in the Journal of Oral and Facial Pain and Headache reported that 22 to 31 percent of adults experience bruxism while awake. CPAPContinuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy involves wearing a mask over your nose (though some CPAP masks cover the mouth too) in order to receive a steady flow of air into your lungs. CPAP was designed for people who have obstructive sleep apnea. This condition causes the tissue in the back of your throat to relax during sleep, restricting the flow of oxygen into your airways. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine acknowledged that CPAP therapy can cause some tooth movement. The researchers suggest that people using CPAP pay attention to any changes in their bite and work with an orthodontist to prevent or correct any major shifting. Whether or not you’ve had orthodontic work or a tooth extraction, you can take concrete steps starting today to at least reduce the amount of tooth shifting that goes on in the years ahead. Removable retainerChances are, once you’ve had your braces removed, your orthodontist will fit you for a retainer. You may be advised to wear it at night only or for as many hours a day and night as you can. One of the most important steps you can take to keep your recently straightened teeth in alignment is to follow your orthodontist’s recommendations. Permanent retainersFixed, or lingual, retainers are generally quite effective in maintaining tooth alignment and should be considered as a treatment once your braces come off. If you get a fixed retainer, be sure to have it checked regularly by your orthodontist. A problem with a bond to just one tooth could lead to larger problems requiring more orthodontic treatment. Address teeth grindingYou may not be aware that you grind your teeth, but a good dentist can probably spot the signs by noting the wear patterns on certain teeth. If you grind your teeth, talk with your dentist about treatment options. Mouth guards worn at night are effective. Good dental hygieneAs with anything related to dental health, the simplest but most important strategy is to maintain good dental hygiene throughout the year. That means:
If gum disease is a concern, good dental hygiene may require more frequent dentist appointments and procedures such as teeth scaling and root planing. Teeth shift after dental procedures and throughout your life, leading to imperceptible changes or significant movement that may require the attention of a dentist or orthodontist. Wearing a retainer consistently after having your braces removed is often one way to minimize shifting. The other important step is to maintain good dental hygiene. If possible, try to visit a dentist regularly so any changes in your bite or smile can be addressed earlier rather than later.
This is a question that is asked probably almost as frequently as “when will my treatment be done?” And in much the same way, it won’t always have the same answer for every brace wearer. The shift in your teeth’s position is gradual. And that is by design. There are biomechanics that dictate how your teeth will best move into their new positions and it requires a stepwise approach, allowing the correct amount of time for the movement to set properly. Your tooth movement requires bone to be broken down on the side the tooth is being pulled towards (known as resorption) and then to be “grown” (known as deposition) on the side of the tooth which holds it in its new position. When Will the Change Become Noticeable?There are a variety of factors that affect the rate at which your teeth will start to shift. The reason that orthodontists give a range is because your treatment schedule is set according to your individual requirements. As a general rule, your total time in braces will be between 18 and 24 months. In that time, you can start to actually notice the changes in your teeth’s appearance as early as four weeks from being fitted. But two or three months is the average expectation. This ArchWired thread looks at some of the experiences that brace wearers had with noticing the change. The range of malocclusions is fairly wide and so the treatment times and noticeable changes are, too. Why Does It Take This Long?Adjusting your teeth is done incrementally using varied forces, to maximize movement in the shortest period of time. Basically, it is done as quickly as possible without doing it too quickly—both of which have their potential downsides. If the movement is too slow, it can result in the root resorption (shortening of the roots). Too quickly and, along with greater discomfort, the supporting bone won’t have enough time to grow the bone for proper support. There is also an increased risk of root resorption. Your Orthodontist’s TimetableRest assured, as quickly as you would like to be out of your braces, your orthodontist is trying to get you out of them just as quickly—but it won’t be at the expense of a winning smile and healthy bite. Taking shortcuts or extending treatment can have detrimental long-term effects that don’t benefit anyone. So while you are looking for the telltale signs that your teeth are moving towards that perfect smile, your braces and other appliances will doing their part to make sure that there is healthy bite to go along with it. Picture The DifferenceThe changes can be subtle enough that you might not be aware of them at all. If you want to keep tabs on the change, take a photo at the beginning of every month and compare them. This is where you will notice the actual difference. Apps like Lapse It can help you capture the whole experience from start to finish as a sequence. If you’re wondering what that can look like, here is a time lapse video from a treatment over 18 months: Follow OrdersTo keep the process moving along as closely to schedule as possible, following your doctor’s instructions regarding dental hygiene and appliance maintenance are vital. Otherwise your treatment can be pushed back. |