What Causes Goofy Teeth?

Goofy or buck teeth can be very difficult to live with, whether you are a child who gets picked on a school or an adult who struggles to be taken seriously in the work place, it’s not much fun to be called names or poked fun at. The aesthetic issues aside, they can also be very uncomfortable and problematic, making it difficult to eat or talk normally. There are various ways that your dentist can help you if you suffer from a heavy overbite – braces are particularly common with patients who are in their teens – but it’s always helpful to know a little bit about the background of the problem, so let’s take a look at what causes goofy teeth.

How have my teeth become goofy?

A lot of dentists will attempt to fix goofy teeth while a patient is still in their early teens, before they really start to get out of hand; it’s also easier to mould teeth that are still growing. It’s important to fix buck teeth as soon as they become noticeable, or they could lead to functional problems as well as the more obvious aesthetic ones. By carrying out a quick examination of your teeth, your dentist will probably be able to tell you what has caused them to become goofy, the majority of cases stem from childhood, where some type of persistent behaviour caused the adult teeth to grow in at an undesirable angle.

Childhood habits – Things like thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, and prolonged use of a dummy can really have a detrimental effect on the way the adult teeth develop. Many parents don’t consider these habits troublesome, but they need to think about the future consequences before they just hand over a pacifier or let their child suck their thumb for long periods of time. The majority of children leave these habits behind as they grow older, and some never even pick them up to begin with, but there are a minority who will continue with them as they approach adulthood.

Tongue thrusting is another term for orofacial muscular imbalance, which describes a condition where the child’s tongue pushes out of their mouth to an abnormal degree as they eat or talk. Sometimes also called a ‘reverse swallow’ this problem is usually something that the patient themselves is unaware of while they are doing it, mainly because it feels natural to them, they don’t know any different. Tongue thrusting can seriously affect speaking and swallowing capabilities and it eventually causes the front teeth to splay out under the regular applications of pressure, giving them a goofy appearance.

Thumb sucking is probably the habit that most people associated with buck teeth, and does tend to do more damage because while the thumb is in the mouth it is putting constant pressure on the back of the front teeth via the sucking motion. After enough time, it becomes apparent that the front teeth are protruding forward in an abnormal manner; parents should try and discourage this behaviour at an early age.

Swapping a thumb for a pacifier will do little to improve the situation, it might keep the child quiet, but it will most likely make the goofy teeth stand out even more. Undoubtedly, it is difficult to deal with young children sometimes, and it can be very tempting to just let them keep their dummy to stop them complaining, but they won’t thank you in later life when they have to undergo orthodontic treatment for buck teeth. If you distract them with a toy or game and then quietly take away the dummy, you might come up against some resistance at first, but before long they won’t even notice it is gone.

Lip sucking is less commonly associated with dental problems, but it can sometimes cause a large overbite to form if the action is repeated often enough. Habits like this are often linked with social anxieties or other worries, which might be something to look into if you notice your child sucking their lips a lot.

Do my genetics have anything to do with my goofy teeth?

Unfortunately, yes, a family history of malocclusion (wonky teeth) can leave you predisposed to problems of this nature, and there’s obviously not much you can do about that. Overbites or underbites are also considered hereditary, and people who have inherited these things from their parents will probably have to have some kind of orthodontic treatment when they reach their teens. The only way parents can help in these circumstances is to make sure their children don’t adopt any damaging habits that can exacerbate the problem.

Is there anything else that causes goofy teeth?

Even later in life, you’re not immune to developing goofy teeth. The primary culprit for adult teeth protrusion is tooth loss, if any of your teeth fall out after an accident or due to extensive decay, it can affect the rest of them in spectacular fashion. Losing a molar might not seem like the end of the world because no one can see it, but if you don’t have it replaced with a bridge or implants, the pressure distribution in your mouth will be completely uneven. As you bite and chew your food, the weight will be moved onto the surrounding teeth, causing everything to gradually take a nudge forward and eventually stick out in a goofy fashion. A similar thing can happen with wisdom teeth; as they come through behind the adult molars, they push their way up to make some space, changing the positioning of the rest of the teeth – although, this more commonly results in crowded teeth rather than goofy ones.

Occasionally, incorrect orthodontic treatment – such as badly fitted braces, can also result in noticeable malocclusions. This is why it’s important to choose your provider carefully before going ahead. The Pearl Dental Clinic employs only highly skilled dental surgeons, who can guarantee that they won’t leave you with a goofy grin, by using the very best in modern orthodontic techniques.