Gum diseases can cause the teeth to shift. Periodontal Disease causes inflamed “pockets” to deepen and ligaments holding the teeth in place start to loosen to the surrounding bone. The teeth may start to shift position shifting due to the bone loss resulting in less support for the teeth and consequently drifting. Solution: Regular dental care and performing your daily hygiene effectively.
Grinding/bruxism: Teeth-grinding, or bruxism, is a common issue when people are under stress or pressure from home work or family. The constant application of force on the teeth can cause teeth to change position or break which in turn places more stress on surrounding teeth. Solution: Get a Bite Guard. You will grind on your guard and not your teeth and therefore protecting them from wear and breakage.
Age/mesial drift: Mesial drift or physiologic drift refers to the natural lifelong tendency of the teeth to drift toward the front of the dental arch (toward the lips). Chewing and grinding of the teeth will cause the enamel to wear down, forming gaps that lead to drifting as those spaces grow. Solution: Resolve this
by minimizing wear by the fabrication of and consistent wearing of a bite guard.
Sleep position (and daytime posture): Your sleeping position can contribute to teeth moving. Stomach- and side-sleeping can lead to such movement, especially for people who sleep mostly on one side. Drooping daytime posture, such as sitting over a computer for long stretches, can also result in shifting over time. Solution: Be mindful of your body position.
Tooth loss or extraction: A missing tooth creates a space, and results in the adjacent teeth to migrate into this space. Wisdom teeth do not pose a significant shifting risk. The major shifting occurs after an extraction or other loss of an anterior tooth like a canine or incisor without an adequate and timely replacement. Solution: An adequate and timely replacement of the missing tooth with either bridgework, orthodontics or dental implants.
Braces or clear aligners: For many people, the happiness and relief of their new, straight smile after the years and expense of braces is short-lived as teeth in some cases start to shift back to their original positions. If the bite is not balanced so that the biting surfaces fit together without any interference the teeth will shift. It is like walking with a pebble in your shoe. You position your foot to avoid the pebble in your shoe until you take your shoe off and remove the pebble. In short, the interference causes the ligaments around the tooth roots to activate their muscle memory and remember their old position and gradually shifting them back to their pre orthodontic position. Solution: Make sure your orthodontist or dentist perform an occlusal assessment and occlusal adjustment to minimize any interference which can be created by changing tooth position.
Until Next time: Stay Safe, Stay Healthy and be Careful out in the World.
James A Vito, D.M.D.