Shifting Teeth Signals A Problem

Dental emergencies can happen from one moment to the next, but with timely dental intervention, you can quickly restore normalcy to your dentition in any case. The same goes for shifting teeth, which can result either from an accident or a condition that’s built up imperceptibly over time in your mouth. Teeth shifting can result from a wide range of reasons, from advanced periodontitis to damaged restorations, etc.

When your teeth begin to shift, you might start noticing gaps that keep opening up, with your teeth feeling loose and drifty. While this is a normal experience for children with weaker jaws, it’s a cause for concern in adults with mature jaws. In adults, it usually occurs because of the damaging effects of inflammation and bacterial infection on the jaws and connective tissues attaching the teeth to the jaws. When you begin to notice these symptoms, you need the immediate intervention of our dentists to forestall any further damage and save your dentition.

What Causes Teeth Shifting?


Gum diseases like periodontitis are the most common culprits of teeth shifting in adults. These gum infections breakdown the supporting tissues of the jaws and connective muscle membranes, effectively weakening your dentition’s foundation.

Your teeth can also shift because your jaws’ shape naturally continues to change and may grow out and become narrow, causing your teeth to clamp or overlap with each other. Similar effects can happen in people whose lips grow smaller and squeeze down their teeth. Also, people suffering from teeth grinding often experience teeth shifting as a result of their teeth grinding against each other during sleep and during stressful moments. Your teeth can also shift out of place as they space out naturally to cover the empty space of lost teeth.

Most of these causative factors are beyond your control, and you need the help of our seasoned experts to overcome them. Visit us today to correct your shifting teeth and eliminate the underlining condition that caused it.