Hi, Simon Deall from Central Coast Orthodontics here. I saw a new patient, Sarah from Wamberal yesterday. She is in her mid-thirties, and her lower front teeth were crowded, so she decided to do something about them, that’s why she came to see us. She said to me… I noticed my teeth are getting more and more crooked over time, is this normal? So I thought I’ll make a video sharing with you what I shared with her.

Basically teeth continue to move over your lifetime. If we think about this it shouldn’t be too surprising because there’s no part of our body that stays the same as we get older.

The common myth about wisdom teeth being the main cause of this continued crowding is actually false. Still a lot of people today mistakenly believe that pressure from the wisdom teeth pushes the rest of the teeth forwards. A significant amount of research has shown that crowding, in fact, continues whether you have wisdom teeth present or not. So most Orthodontists today do not usually recommend wisdom teeth removal just to prevent teeth moving, but there are lots of other good reasons to remove wisdom teeth and your general dentist is the best person to talk to about your wisdom teeth.

So the reasons that are thought to be behind why teeth continue to move include continued lower jaw growth, over time there’s also a reduction in the width of space between the lower canine teeth which causes the lower front teeth to become more crowded. Gum disease can cause a reduction of bone and gum supporting the teeth which increases their mobility of the teeth and can even cause gaps to appear.

Now, of course, after treatment, we can prevent them from continuing to move by giving patients retainers. Retainers are the best way to prevent your teeth from moving and there are various types of retainers from removable clear trays, traditional style retainers or fixed bonded wire retainers that can be permanent.

I hope this video gave you a better understanding of why crooked teeth get worse over time. If you are experiencing this and want to do something about it, we’d love to help you. Simply give us a call, complete the enquiry form on the website, or send us a direct message on social media, and we will help you organise your appointment. See you in the next video!

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