Rotated teeth are a less common cosmetic complaint, but a serious one. If you have a rotated tooth, it’s likely to be highly visible, especially if it’s one of your incisors (the flat teeth at the front of your mouth). Fortunately, this is highly correctable with cosmetic dentistry.
What Causes Rotated Teeth
Rotated teeth are sometimes caused by disturbance or injury to the mouth before the tooth emerges. One of the most common is a trauma to the mouth during childhood while teeth are developing, but other potential causes include cysts, tumors (including benign tumors like odontoma), and extra teeth such as mesiodens (an extra tooth that appears in a gap between your central incisors).
But teeth can also become rotated after eruption. Tooth rotation often occurs as a result of crowding, which forces the tooth to present its narrower profile in rotation. Crowding related to wisdom teeth is often cited as a cause for this. But sometimes rotations occur where there’s extra space, too, because this gives the tooth freedom to move in response to abnormal bite forces. Other mechanical forces, such as your tongue or cheeks, and even trapped food particles can also contribute to rotation of your teeth.
Gum disease can accelerate the effect of these forces because it makes your teeth less secure in your jaw.
Treating Rotated Teeth
Rotated teeth are usually treated using braces. Metal braces such as Six Month Smiles are the best choice for this because they can put the best rotational force on the tooth. Invisalign is less useful for rotating teeth, though for cases of minor rotations, it can be quite effective.
But if you don’t want to take the time for braces, even six months, we can sometimes use instant orthodontics–porcelain veneers–to reshape your tooth and make it straight. Depending on the nature of the rotation and the health of the tooth, this isn’t always an option, but for some people it’s the best approach.
In any case, we want to make sure we’ve addressed the problem of why your tooth or teeth became rotated in the first place. Otherwise, the problem can and will recur. This may mean orthodontics addressing other teeth, or we may want to do a complete TMJ evaluation to make sure your bite is healthy.
If you would like to consult with a cosmetic dentist about rotated teeth or other cosmetic complaints, please call (201) 343-4044 for an appointment at River Edge Dental, New Jersey’s center for general & cosmetic dentistry.
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