Most people think teeth problems are limited to tooth decay or misalignment. However, there is much more to them. One example of a more complex tooth problem is canted teeth.
Sometimes, you may have perfect, pearly white teeth, yet there is something off with your smile. You sense it, but you cannot put a finger on it. If you have experienced this, you might have canted teeth. But what are canted teeth? And how do we treat them? This article will go through all the important aspects of canted teeth in detail. So stay tuned!
What are Canted Teeth?
Canted teeth are teeth that are slightly slanted or offset. If your teeth are deviated up or down on one side on a transverse axis, you have canted teeth. A small amount of cant is usually present in almost every smile. However, if the slanting is more than 4 degrees, it is pretty noticeable, and that’s when it becomes a problem.
Although canted teeth are not a disease, they are still a major aesthetic concern for most people. They can even cause functional problems like tooth wear or improper eruption of permanent teeth. The term used for canted teeth in dental sciences is a roll.
How Does Teeth Whitening Work?
In order to understand how teeth whitening works, let’s first understand what determines the color of your natural teeth. The color of your natural teeth is influenced by dentine, the inner layer of your tooth’s crown. Dentine is covered by a hard but transparent outer layer called enamel, which reflects dentine’s pale yellow hues, giving your teeth their natural color.
Consuming food like tea, coffee, wine, and soft drinks incorporates the enamel crystals and prevents dentine reflection. Bleaching agents in whitening chemicals penetrate the enamel crystals and break down discoloration. The most commonly used bleaching agents are hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide. These agents release oxygen molecules that chemically react with the stains on the teeth, whitening them.
What Causes Canted Teeth?
Canted teeth are either caused due to a developmental problem, uneven lips or gums, or trauma. Let’s now discuss the causes of a canted smile in detail. The following are the significant causes of slanted teeth.
Genetics:
Like every other medical condition, genetics control the alignment and symmetry of your smile, at least to some extent. If either of your parents had canted teeth, you will likely have them, too.
Skeletal Problems:
Skeletal problems in the jaw alignment can make your teeth slanted. If your jaw is not developed evenly during growth, it can cause issues like overbite, underbite, or crossbite. These malocclusions can give rise to canted teeth.
Dental Problems:
In some cases, jaw growth is normal, but the teeth are angulated in ways that cause malocclusion. Crowded, chipped, or crooked teeth can make your smile canted. Some patients have naturally uneven teeth. They may be smaller (microdontia) or larger (macrodontia).
Asymmetric Lips:
Sometimes, it’s not the smile that is asymmetric but the lips. This happens due to the difference in lip pull by the muscles of the face when smiling. If your upper lip is asymmetric, you will appear to have upper teeth slanted. If your lower lip is asymmetric, you will appear to have slanted bottom teeth.
Uneven Gums:
From birth to adulthood, teeth pierce gums and erupt in the oral cavity through two processes: active eruption and passive eruption. If any of these processes results in uneven gum recession, it can make your smile appear canted.
Trauma:
Facial trauma is a significant cause of canted teeth, especially front teeth slanted. A fall, accident, or a blow to the face can cause the teeth of the affected side to shift from their position, resulting in a cant.
Tooth Loss:
In case of tooth loss, the teeth surrounding the one that is lost migrate towards the empty space. If you lose a lower tooth, its upper counterpart supra erupts because it does not find the opposing force that keeps it in its place. Hence, it causes the smile line to shift from normal, causing a cant.
Temporomandibular Joint Problems:
Patients who have degenerative joint diseases, like osteoarthritis, can also develop a cant. In such diseases, the bone of the affected joint can degenerate, causing the jaw to shrink. If this occurs, the chin deviates towards the affected side, causing an occlusal cant to appear.
Do I Have Canted Teeth?
An occlusal cant can be visualized if you see your teeth with reference to other parts of your face, like the interpupillary line (the line between your pupils) or inter-commissural line (the line between corners of your mouth).
If you are not able to visualize the cant, take a tongue depressor or an ice cream stick. Stand in front of a mirror and put the stick between your teeth lengthwise. Bite down on it and see if the stick is tilted up or down in the transverse plane. Visualize it with reference to your eyes, nose, and ears to see the cant clearly.
However, it is still best to visit a dental professional. Our dental expert in Newton, NJ, performs radiologic assessments to diagnose canted teeth.
How to Treat Canted Teeth?
The treatment of canted teeth involves treating its underlying cause. The following are the treatment options that can be used to treat canted teeth.
Orthognathic Surgery:
If the occlusal cant is due to skeletal problems or a TMJ issue, it can be treated through orthognathic surgery only. However, if the patient can’t afford it or has other concerns related to the surgery, camouflage treatment can be done.
Braces:
Braces are the traditional metal appliances fixed on your teeth to fix malocclusions that cause alignment issues. If your cant is due to crowded or crooked teeth, it can be treated with conventional braces. Malalignments, such as crossbites, overbites, underbites, or teeth angled inward, can also be treated through braces.
Clear Aligners:
Clear aligners are custom-made transparent devices that are used to treat malocclusion. They are used as an alternative to conventional metal brackets. People who have aesthetic implications with traditional braces can opt for clear aligners.
Botox:
If your lip is asymmetric, it can be treated with Botox injections on the fuller side, managing the cant.
Gum Lift:
Gum laser surgery is a way to treat uneven gums. In this surgery, a diode laser is used to trim the excessive gums and make your teeth more symmetric.
Restorative Treatment:
If your canted teeth are due to tooth loss or trauma, they can be treated through ceramic bonding, dental veneers, or dental crowns.
Conclusion
To conclude the discussion, canted teeth can significantly impact the aesthetics as well as function of your smile. If not treated timely, the cant can progress, worsening the situation. With a variety of treatment options available, treating canted teeth has become easier.
If you have an occlusal cant, contact our dentist in Blairstown, NJ. So schedule an appointment now and take the first step towards a brighter, more symmetric smile.
