What is Dental Crowding?

Dental crowding is an abnormal manifestation of the effects of alack of space for teeth. Congenital factors, developmental abnormalities, anddisease can also cause it. Dental crowding may lead to pain in the tooth’sunderlying tissue or pulpal tissue, as well as infection. When oral bacteriagrow in a small amount of space, they release acids that can cause inflammationin the gums and teeth, leading to abscesses. Crowded teeth may also createproblems during orthodontic treatment, such as difficulty with fittingappliances or attachments that are used during tooth movement.

Crowded teeth can also interfere with the flow of foods,preventing normal chewing. A lack of space causes crowding in the dental arch,which can arise from several factors. A person’s genetic makeup, underdevelopedjaws, or a combination of the two can all contribute to dental crowding. Animproper bite may also be a factor in dental crowding. Overall, abnormal toothspacing may be caused by inherited factors such as under-developed jawbone orgenetics that do not promote proper eruption of teeth within their sockets.Dental crowding can be hereditary, occurring due to underdeveloped jawbones orteeth, the inheritance of which can be genetic. In adults, dental crowding canalso result from an under-developed jawbone in children. Developmentalabnormalities such as cleft palate and facial asymmetry may also result intooth crowding.

Crowded teeth are one of the most common dental problemsexperienced by adults. Nearly two-thirds of adults have some degree of toothcrowding, which is defined as having one or more teeth that are crowded byanother.

The most common reason for dental crowding is the lack of spacebetween the teeth. Generally referred to as “arch malocclusion,” dentalcrowding can result from jaw abnormalities, developmental issues, or geneticfactors that cause the root tips to sprout into a non-normal position. Severecrowding can also result from having teeth extracted and missing teeth duringearly childhood, which causes permanent and severe crowding. Finally, dentalanomalies such as deep bites, overbite, and under bite can cause spacing issuesfor the teeth.

When a person has dental crowding, they may experience problemswith food getting caught in between their teeth or jaw discomfort due to thepressure that is put on their jaw from the crowded teeth. If there is adeficiency in the jawbone, such as an underdeveloped jaw, they may alsoexperience problems chewing normal sized foods.

Although both tooth and jaw disorders can cause dental crowding,an overbite or under bite can cause tooth irregularities that are most severefrom childhood into older adulthood. While most dentists recommend monitoringoverbites and under bites during dental visits to be sure that teeth are movingproperly, some orthodontists have noted that it is possible to correct theseproblems without any outside help. Although it would require constant diligencein a person’s part, the process has allowed many to correct their misalignmentof teeth.

A patient who is suffering from dental crowding must be properlydiagnosed and treated by a dentist or orthodontist in Brampton before nonsurgicaltreatment, which will normally include “flipping” of the upper and lower teeth.This technique involves pulling the upper teeth forward, so they are directlyabove the lower teeth. When this is done, the upper teeth are raised slightlyabove the lower teeth. This keeps food debris and anything else that needs tobe kept out from between the teeth.

Flipping is not usually recommended for patients who simply wantto improve their appearance. Once a patient has been properly diagnosed withdental crowding or some other jaw condition, they will need to have their biteadjusted, usually in an orthodontic appliance. This is done by using a seriesof rubber bands which are attached to the teeth. They place these rubber bandson the teeth and will gradually move them forward as they are worn over time.The duration of wearing these bands depends on the severity of crowding;however, it is usually about three months until it achieves full correction.

Most commonly, dental crowding is caused by an underdevelopedjawbone that prevents the proper space between teeth from forming naturally.This can occur for several reasons, but most commonly it happens due to geneticfactors.