ELi5: why do our teeth continue to shift around as we get older?
In: 5
Think about how many times you chew throughout the course of a day, then a week, then a year, then a decade. Not to mention potentially grinding your teeth at night or when you’re stressed, biting on things out of habit, etc.
The term occlusion refers to the bringing of teeth into contact with each other. The physical forces on the tops and bottoms of the teeth can alter positioning very slowly over time based on how well or not well your teeth are occluding. That’s why retainers are important after you have braces to prevent this from happening.
Lots of reasons:
1. You use your teeth a lot, and with a lot of force. Over time, that can nudge your teeth around and cause them to shift.
2. Your bone density changes over time. Depending on how your teeth line up and how you chew, you will gain or lose bone mass, which can cause your teeth to shift more easily (due to the forces mentioned in #1).
3. Depending on how old you are, your skull may still be growing or forming. Some people continue to have skull change all the way into their 40s.
4. Some people have wisdom teeth that under their gumline that apply pressure to their teeth, causing shifting.
5. If you lose teeth or have teeth removed, it changes the pressure applied to neighboring teeth, so having dental implants, surgeries or accidents could contribute to shifting teeth.
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