How to Prevent Teeth Shifting in 5 Comprehensive Steps

Learn How to Prevent Teeth Shifting

Whether you’ve had braces or not, teeth can shift from seemingly harmless activities you might be doing right now. But because tooth shifting is gradual, you won’t even see it happening. With time, however, it becomes increasingly apparent with loose and hard to clean teeth without specialty dentistry services. Here’s how to prevent teeth shifting in Sugar Land, Texas.

1. Take Care of Your Teeth and Gums

Want to know how to prevent teeth shifting? Oral hygiene plays an essential role.

Poorly maintained teeth and gums lead to tooth decay and inflammation. Infected gums puff up and separate from the teeth, leaving even more room for food to get trapped and disease to reach deeper into the tooth bed.

As a result, the teeth loosen and shift. And if the conditions remain, they may even fall out.

So practice proper brushing and flossing techniques to prevent plaque buildup and gum disease.

2. Practice Stress Reduction

We don’t know precisely why some people grind their teeth, while others don’t. But we do know that unmanaged stress makes bruxism worse. A sudden bout of anxiety may cause you to clench your teeth together very hard. Or you may shift your teeth back and forth.

The human jaw is capable of applying 70 pounds of pressure for every square inch. That’s more than enough to break a tooth and, at the very least, move them over time.

Apply stress reduction strategies during the day and before bed to get a better night’s sleep. These might include:

Spending 30 minutes before bed without electronic devices
Meditating
Listening to peaceful music
Keeping a daily gratitude journal

And know it’s not possible to remove all stress from life. Just improve how you deal with it, so it doesn’t invade your sleep.

If the bruxism continues, dentists recommend getting a mouthguard.

3. Modify Your Sleep Position

And while we’re on the topic of sleep and how to prevent teeth shifting, let’s consider how you’re sleeping. If you tend to sleep with your face pressed down at an angle, especially on a firm pillow, you’re putting significant pressure on your teeth.

Irregular sleep positions like this may gradually shift your teeth.

4. Wear Your Retainer

This is no joke. And it’s not optional. If you had dental braces and your Sugar Land orthodontist instructed you to wear your retainer for so many nights a week or month, take heed.

Once you no longer have to wear a retainer all day, you may slowly start to forget to wear it at all. But you won’t see your teeth moving. So what’s the harm? Over time, you’ll notice the retainer stops fitting. This is because your teeth shifted.

When your retainer stops fitting, you either have to get a whole new one or chance your teeth continuing to shift out of position.

So set up some reminders, and stick with a program to keep those straight teeth you worked so hard for.

5. Keep Your Regular Cleanings

Your regular teeth cleanings are an essential tool when trying to figure out how to prevent teeth shifting. Brushing and flossing don’t remove all debris from teeth. And over time, each time you miss something, it may harden into plaque.

This plaque harbors bacteria. And it welcomes gum disease. Regular cleanings help your teeth stay in place for a happier, healthier smile.

How to Prevent Teeth Shifting in Sugar Land, TX

When it comes to teeth shifting, it’s the small things like sleep position and your daily cleaning routine that make a big difference. Your dentist or orthodontist can provide you with an update on how well your teeth are staying in place during your next visit.

At Lovett Dental Sugar Land we offer a full range of dental services and orthodontics like: