Your Child: Straight Talk About Crooked Teeth

By Author: Carolyn Ethington
Total Articles: 49
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Were your teeth crooked when you were a kid? Chances are at least one of your own children's will be too: it's a trait that is often passed along from generation to generation, like bright blue eyes or freckles! Of course, there are other reasons as well for not having a perfectly aligned smile. Here is a brief bit of straight talk about crooked teeth and your child.

Why Me?
Some children are really lucky: they lose their baby teeth and their permanent ones come in perfectly straight and picture-worthy. If your kid's adult teeth start growing in crookedly, he may look at other children's smiles and wail: why me? The truth is everyone's got issues they deal with as they grow up; so it's important to let your child know that having crooked teeth to one extent or another is absolutely normal! Reassure him that modern dental technologies and methods make straightening teeth faster and more trouble-free than ever, and when the time is right his smile can be made right.

What Causes Crooked Teeth?
As mentioned earlier, heredity can play a big part. The family gene pool may include large-sized teeth with ...
... jaw structure that is too small to hold an entire mouthful.

In some cases, the upper or lower jaw (or even both) may be malformed or they may be different sizes: resulting in overbites or underbites.

Whatever the reason, not correcting the problems can seriously affect good dental health over the long term such as:

--Not being able to chew properly
--Suffering from a speech impediment
--Increased problems with tooth decay
--Chronic straining of jaw muscles, and many more

Of course there are always the psychological repercussions as well: many kids, teens, and adults feel self-conscious about crooked teeth and that feeling affects self-esteem and confidence.

What To Do About Crooked Teeth
If your child has severely crooked teeth, it's a good idea to consult with an orthodontist before the age of 10 in order to get a baseline assessment; but most kids don't get actual braces until approximately age 11, when most of the permanent teeth are in place. If the upper or lower jaw is the problem, earlier treatment while the bone is soft may be the wisest course of action. If you have worries about your child's crooked teeth, taking him to a Utah pediatric dentist or dentist in the state where you live is a great place to start.

That is indeed the question for many parents. If you have real concerns, go to the expert such as your Utah pediatric dentist or a pediatric dentist in the state where you live for the latest and best advice on this controversial subject. For more information about Utah pediatric dentist specialist and counseling visit our website http://www.burgpediatricdentistry.com now!