Misaligned, Crooked, or Spaced Out Teeth

Our dentists Dr. Khabensky DDS and Dr. Kim DDS offer the newest treatments for misaligned, crooked or spaced out teeth using the latest appliances and palatal expanders which can help guide jaw growth. Visit our center to learn more about kids dentistry and meet Dr. Khabensky DDS and Dr. Kim DDS. Our doctors provide personalized and comprehensive care for kids and teens using natural techniques and organic measures whenever possible.

Why Can Teeth Erupt Incorrectly?

These problems may arise if a child’s mouth is too small to accommodate all their teeth, overcrowding them, and causing them to shift position. Sometimes the upper and lower jaws aren’t the same size or haven’t grown correctly.

A difference in jaw sizes can cause an overbite, where the upper jaw protrudes excessively, or an underbite where the lower jaw protrudes in front of the upper jaw, so both the lower jaw and teeth extend out beyond the upper jaw and teeth. If the jaws are too large or teeth are missing, it can cause spaces between teeth. Occasionally the teeth may be too small, leaving gaps between them.

Other causes of malocclusion include:

• Using a pacifier after age three
• Prolonged thumb or finger sucking
• Cleft lip or palate
• Facial trauma that has resulted in the jaw is becoming misaligned
• Airway obstruction due to mouth breathing, enlarged tonsils or adenoids or allergies

What Problems Can Be Caused by Misaligned, Crooked, or Spaced out Teeth?

Ideally, teeth bite together evenly so that when you bite down, they all meet together at the same time. When teeth are crooked or misaligned, this often cannot happen so that sometimes some teeth meet before others, and some teeth may not bite together at all.

Biting down on some teeth before others place these teeth under additional stresses and strain, increasing the risk of breaking or chipping these teeth and putting the jaw joints and facial muscles under extra strain. The increased stresses can also interfere with chewing, and when food cannot be chewed properly, it can cause digestive problems. Teeth that are overlapping or crooked or incorrectly spaced are more of a challenge to keep clean, increasing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease (gingivitis).

Abnormally aligned teeth can affect facial appearance, and they could cause speech difficulties such as a lisp. Lastly, if your child’s teeth are not correctly aligned, they could begin to feel self-conscious about their appearance, which in turn could affect their self-esteem.

How We Can Help

If your child has had a baby tooth removed, we may need to fit a space maintainer that will hold open the space left behind by the tooth until their adult tooth is ready to erupt. We can recommend an orthodontic evaluation if we feel your child is likely to develop problems with misaligned, crooked, or spaced out teeth as their adult teeth develop.

An orthodontist specializes in diagnosing tooth and jaw misalignment and can carry out diagnostic tests, including examining your child and the relationship between their upper and lower jaw. They might take photos of their face and teeth and x-rays to evaluate the position of teeth yet to erupt.

Once we have a proper diagnosis, we can decide on the best treatment for your child’s needs. If your child is still quite young, we may be able to provide appliances that guide their jaw growth, creating more room for their adult teeth to erupt without being overcrowded or crooked. Sometimes it may be necessary to remove one or more teeth to create enough room for the adult teeth to erupt properly. Wherever possible, we try to avoid removing teeth unless necessary. Very rarely, oral surgery is needed to correct an extreme underbite or overbite.

We can also provide conventional braces to help correct the position of their teeth and to close any spaces. Spaces caused by congenitally missing teeth can be filled with a removable prosthesis like a temporary denture. Once your child is old enough, and their jaw and facial development are complete, we can fit a more permanent solution like a fixed bridge or dental implants.

Pediatric Dentistry Center
2148 Ocean Ave, Ste 401A
Brooklyn, NY 11229
☎ 718-339-1810