For many of us, a smile is the most important feature we see in others and in ourselves. It can make or break our confidence. A crooked smile in particular can affect a person’s self-esteem.
So what are the reasons for a crooked smile? How can a crooked smile be fixed? In this article, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of how your teeth can affect the appearance of your smile, and how you can correct those imperfections.
What Is A Crooked Smile?
A crooked smile is where your mouth appears uneven when you flex those smile muscles.
It appears lopsided, where the right and left sides of your mouth don’t match. One side could be pulled further up than the other, leaving your smile asymmetrical.
What Causes A Crooked Smile?
It can be hard to figure out why your smile is crooked, so it’s always a good idea to visit your dentist if you have any concerns.
However, it’s good to familiarise yourself with the most common causes so you can think about the best treatment and whether or not you need a combined treatment.
Uneven Gum Line
Your gums are the foundation of your smile. They form the base for your smile, but an uneven gum line can affect its appearance.
For example, your gum line may slope downwards, adjacent to the other side, making your smile seem asymmetrical.
How To Fix An Uneven Gum Line
An uneven gum line can be fixed by a gum-contouring procedure – also known as a smile lift.
During this procedure, the excess gum tissue is removed and the gum is reshaped around the margins of your teeth (these are called gingival margins). This will rebalance your gums and improve the symmetry of your smile.
Misaligned Teeth
A common problem for most people is that crooked teeth can cause a crooked smile. This is just the way your adult teeth have grown.
A person’s teeth rarely grow perfectly straight; they can often grow crooked, rotated, or tipped, which causes your smile to appear uneven.
How To Fix Misaligned Teeth
There are a few different ways you can straighten your teeth and improve the appearance of your smile. Fixing crooked teeth brings your bite closer together and makes your smile more symmetrical.
Mild to moderate orthodontic issues can be fixed with non-invasive aligners.
These are clear and removable plastic trays that fit over your teeth, and slowly straighten your teeth over time with multiple, tighter aligners. They are almost invisible and easy to use.
A visit to the orthodontist is a better option for more complex misalignment.
They specialise in teeth straightening with the use of braces, which straighten your teeth and correct your bite, improving the symmetrical appearance of your smile significantly.
Disproportionate Teeth
Sometimes, natural teeth grow in different sizes, causing significant unevenness in your smile. Some teeth can also be misshapen, giving an even more unbalanced appearance.
How To Fix Disproportionate Teeth
To fix disproportionate and misshapen teeth, your cosmetic dentist can fit porcelain veneers to balance your smile. These are custom-made to fit you and can conceal many different aesthetic imperfections.
The purpose of porcelain veneers is to make your teeth look more natural by making them seem larger or concealing distortion.
Are There Other Reasons For My Crooked Smile?
While teeth contribute to the appearance of your smile, there are other factors you should consider when trying to determine why your smile may be crooked.
Genetics
It’s possible that your genetics may cause a crooked smile. Your face could naturally appear this way as a mixture of your parent’s DNA. If this quirk runs in your family, you may have it too.
Habits
Your daily habits can also cause asymmetry in your smile. For example, poor posture can affect your facial symmetry, or even sleeping consistently on one side of your face.
Smoking can also be a contributing factor, as the toxins affect your teeth and face.
Previous Dental Work
Using dentures can change the symmetry of your smile in some cases. Your smile can also be affected by tooth extraction, which causes changes in your facial muscles.
Aging
As you get older, your face changes, which could affect your smile. Naturally, your ears and nose grow as you age, which may cause unbalance in your face.
Misaligned Jaw
The structure of your jaw can also have an impact on your smile. If you have an underbite, overbite, or a jaw that’s off-centre, this may cause asymmetry.
Trauma
An injury to the face can severely change your appearance, including a crooked smile. In addition, damage to bones, nerves, and muscles could cause unbalance in your face when the swelling goes down.
To Conclude
For many people, a smile is the key to great confidence and high self-esteem. If you’re conscious of your smile and you feel it’s crooked, there are dental procedures that may improve the appearance.
While there are changes you can make in your lifestyle to improve the balance of your smile, such as chewing on both sides of your mouth, practising facial exercises, and switching the side of your face you sleep on.
There are tailored methods your dentist can use for your teeth to create better symmetry.
How you see yourself is important, so if you’re looking for dental fixes to help you love your smile, this guide will help you get started.
He has combined both of these skills to create his first company, Isopharm Limited, which became one of the top learning platforms within the dental industry.
With over 120,000 active users, he has been able to educate others in order to provide better dental care around the world.
With his expertise and work in the field, Andrew has been able to help many dental care professionals succeed in treating their patients.
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