Crooked Teeth After Braces? Here’s What to Do

One of the main reasons why individuals choose to get braces is to receive a straight, beautiful smile. Unfortunately, teeth have a mind of their own, and sometimes they’ll shift—even after straightening treatment. When this occurs, it’s a bummer, but there are some things you can do to correct it.

Have your teeth shifted after braces? If so, check out the information below to learn what to do to correct crooked teeth after braces.

Why Do Teeth Shift After Braces?

There’s no real answer to why teeth shift after braces. However, there are a few different causes that lead to shifted teeth.

For starters, you are always using your teeth to eat, chew, and bite. When doing those types of activities, it is easy for your teeth to slowly become misaligned. Essentially, it all happens as a result of typical wear and tear.

Not only that, even if your teeth were straight for many years, they could eventually begin to shift as you grow older. This is just a natural occurrence.

In addition to that, if you are someone who grinds your teeth at night, that could quickly cause your teeth to shift.

If you suffer from this issue, it’s best to speak to your dentist about giving you treatment for your condition. It’ll minimize the possibility of your teeth becoming crooked after braces.

Are Your Teeth Getting Crooked Again? Here’s What to Do

If you’ve noticed that your teeth are shifting after your braces, you should speak to your dentist. They’ll be able to put together a solution to help you retain your straight smile. Here are some of the most common options:

Retainers

The most common solution for correcting crooked teeth after braces is using retainers. It’s standard procedure for all individuals who’ve worn braces to wear retainers for a certain time after treatment.

However, if you notice that your teeth are beginning to move out of place, then your dentist might ask you to wear your retainers for an extended period of time.

One of the main reasons why some people don’t see success from their braces after treatment is because they don’t wear their retainers properly. They either forget to put them on or they aren’t consistent with wearing them. Unfortunately, that leads to crooked teeth down the line.

Aligners

If your teeth start to shift drastically after braces, your dentist might recommend that you wear clear aligners. Basically, you’ll move from traditional braces to a treatment like Invisalign. This is often the course of action that individuals with severely crooked teeth have to take.

They’ll use traditional braces to correct the majority of their misalignment, and then once their teeth are somewhat straight, they’ll move on to Invisalign.

That might be a step that your dentist recommends for you. Although this extra step might be a headache, it’ll give you a better chance of maintaining your straight teeth in the future.

If you’re in the market for an Invisalign dentist, click the highlighted link.

Veneers

If using clear aligners or wearing retainers for an extended period of time doesn’t seem like a good course of action for you, then you may have to move on to veneers. This is especially true if you’ve tried the other two steps and your teeth continue to shift.

Veneers are coverings that go over your original teeth. They’re the perfect set of teeth that mask your own.

With this treatment, you won’t have to worry about your teeth moving out of place. Unfortunately, the dentist will have to scale some of your natural teeth off in order to apply the veneers, and it’s a permanent solution.

Therefore, if you decide to get veneers, you’ll have to stick with them. Luckily, they’re a wonderful option and a great way to get a good-looking smile permanently.

How to Prevent Shifting Teeth After Braces

Believe it or not, there are some things you can do to lower the risk of shifting teeth after braces. Below are some suggestions:

Wear Your Retainers

You may feel really excited after getting your braces off, and you’ll feel accomplished after completing your straightening treatment. But you have to understand that post-treatment is just as important as the braces themselves.

Therefore, you want to make sure that you follow the regimen for your retainers the way that your dentist asks you to. If you do, you’ll drastically lower the chances of your teeth shifting later down the line.

If you stay on top of your post-treatment, you won’t have the headache of undergoing a new treatment if your teeth become crooked again.

Take Care of it Early

Another step you’ll want to take is correcting your shifting teeth as soon as you noticed them. If you wait, the problem will only get worse over time. Alert your dentist so they can get you on an early treatment plan to fix the problem.

In the beginning stages, you may be able to use retainers to correct your teeth. But if you wait, you may have to undergo an entirely new straightening treatment.

Managing Crooked Teeth After Braces

As you can see, crooked teeth after braces happens. Although it’s a bit disappointing, you have to understand that it’s a natural occurrence. Thankfully, the options above will greatly minimize the possibility of your teeth shifting after straightening treatment.

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