What are the main causes of dental malocclusion?
There is no specific reason for a malocclusion. Most of the time, this pathology is inherited from our ancestors. Yet, there are several habits that may contribute to the appearance of this condition. Your dentist would advise you to avoid some of these.- The bottle-feeding use in early childhood for an extended time might affect the natural formation of the child’s teeth. In some cases, it can cause dental malocclusion.
- The extended use of the pacifier as well as thumb sucking in childhood. These two habits to calm down a child or a baby are a no way beneficial in the long term. In early childhood, teeth formation is very sensitive to such practices.
- Tumors can also affect the shape or size of the jaw. Therefore, they can be a cause for the condition.
- Accidents or injuries might as well affect the alignment of the jaw.
- Cleft lip or cleft palate can contribute also to having this pathology. These are birth malformations that happen when the baby’s lip or mouth do not develop well during pregnancy.
How to treat dental malocclusion?
In several cases of dental malocclusion, the most effective way to resolve the problem is to go to refer to orthodontic treatment. In fact; a specialist must do the diagnosis and propose a suitable treatment. In addition; dental care varies depending on the type of dental malocclusion the patient might have. In complex cases like tightening of the teeth or displacement of the jaw, surgery must be done. In less complicated cases such as large spacing between teeth, a simple retainer can be enough to fix the problem.
Most of the times treatments for dental malocclusion are braces, retainers, removal of teeth, capping of teeth, or surgery. It all depends if the position of teeth needs to be corrected or the dentition needs to be realigned, if there’s an overcrowding of teeth or if the jaw is displaced.
Possible consequences for untreated malocclusion
- Chewing problems: People suffering from dental malocclusion might have pain in the jaw when they chew. They might also have a blockage and hear some cracking. This pathology might make it difficult to chew food into small pieces. This can cause digestive problems.
- Speech problems: The condition might make some sounds difficult to pronounce, it can as be associated with some speech disorders.
- Joint problems: An untreated malocclusion can contribute to the development of TMJ disorders going from normal pain to severe mechanical blockage.
- Respiratory problems: Due to this pathology, some patients will develop the habit of mouth breathing. As a result, they can develop sleep apnea or snoring issues. On the other hand, breathing through the mouth nurtures the bacteria in there. This may increase the risk of gum disease and cavities.