When you watch movies, look at tabloids, commercials, ads, and even YouTube stars, everyone has one thing in common: straight, white smiles. If your smile is less than perfect, you might find yourself hiding your smile when you laugh or smiling with your lips closed. So why are your teeth crooked anyways? Are some people born with straight teeth?
At Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics in Spokane Valley, we can help you understand the root cause of your crooked teeth and help you perfect them with braces or Invisalign.

Genetics
The first most common reason for crooked teeth is genetics. Unfortunately, when genetics come to play, there’s not much you can do to prevent the inevitable. Oftentimes crowded teeth stem from having a mouth that’s too small to accommodate your teeth. Instead, the teeth crowd together so they can all fit inside your mouth. If you inherit small mouth genes or misaligned jaws from your parents, you will likely need orthodontics to fix your problems.
Injury or Illness
If you experience any facial trauma or injury, it can cause your teeth to become displaced. Once one tooth becomes lost, the remaining teeth will begin to shift into the empty area which can throw off your bite and overall smile.
Facial trauma can also displace your jaw which can cause alignment issues.
Certain Habits
When you’re a baby and your jaw is developing, a lot of habits can affect the jaw development which can ultimately affect your smile. Thumb sucking, mouth breathing, excessive pacifier use, sippy cups, tongue thrusting, and even reverse swallowing can cause a multitude of dental issues down the line such as gapped, crooked, or crowded teeth. Although you can’t go back in time and correct these bad habits when you were a young child, you can get your own child help if they develop similar habits. Intercepting these habits before they can cause long-lasting effects is key in childhood.
Timing
A lot of parents don’t take their child’s baby teeth as seriously as they should. What many parents don’t know is that the permanent teeth are directly affected by the health of the baby teeth. Therefore, if any baby teeth become lost prematurely, the permanent teeth have no guide as to where they’re supposed to grow.
Adult teeth can turn up in unexpected areas of the mouth if baby teeth become lost early.
Treat Crooked Teeth with Braces in Spokane Valley
Now that you know some of the reasons why your teeth aren’t naturally straight, you can learn more about our different orthodontic treatments in Spokane Valley. At Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics, we offer both Invisalign and braces to choose from. No matter how serious or mild your orthodontic issues span, we’re here to help you achieve the straight and beautiful smile you’ve always dreamed of. Contact our cosmetic dentists in Spokane Valley today to schedule a consultation for braces at (509) 927-2273.