There are many different reasons that your child’s teeth may shift to cause misalignment. Some causes are not preventable, but you can stop others to keep your child from needing braces in the future. Learn more about teeth misalignment in children and how you and your dentist can prevent tooth shifting to protect your child’s oral health better.

Why Do Kids’ Teeth Shift?

Causes of Shifting Teeth in Children

Sometimes tooth misalignment is due to hereditary traits, and you cannot prevent it. These include primary teeth that grow in late, crowded teeth, and early tooth loss. However, it can also happen because of childhood development issues and harmful oral habits.

One of the leading causes of tooth shifting in children is thumb sucking and pacifier use. If your child still has an oral fixation beyond when their primary teeth have come in, their tooth alignment can suffer harm. These bad habits impact the development of your child’s jaw by putting upward pressure on the top teeth and reverse-downward pressure on the bottom row.

How to Prevent Tooth Misalignments

Discourage your child from sucking their thumb or using a pacifier, especially after the primary teeth have come in. You should also bring your child in for a dentist appointment early on to ensure that their teeth grow in without any undue issues.

If your child has a naturally crowded mouth, your dentist might suggest prematurely pulling teeth and using space-maintainers to allow the adult teeth to grow in unhindered. If you can, you should also keep your kids from losing their teeth early. If the adult teeth aren’t ready to come in, the extra space can lead to crooked teeth.

Provide your child with the best dental care possible by visiting Tohill Dentistry in Somerset, KY. This talented family-owned dentist has been serving the residents of Pulaski County for the past 38 years and specializes in treating the whole family. They will help you teach your children proper oral care habits to keep their teeth straight throughout childhood and into adulthood. Make your child’s first dentist appointment today by calling (606) 679-4450 or learn more about the practice online.