There are very few people in the world who don’t long for a smile as perfect as the one Julia Roberts or Tom Cruise flash the paparazzi, but unfortunately, very few of us have the kind of money that lets us splurge on getting that smile!
Of course, metal braces and minor surgery are more affordable, but can teeth straightening only be done with these cash-consuming contraptions? Or can teeth straightening be done naturally and even better, free of cost?
If you’ve been grappling with the question of how to straighten teeth naturally, this article is for you—here’s all you need to know on the subject!
What Causes Teeth to Be Misaligned?
You can either be born with crooked teeth, right from your baby whites, or your permanent teeth can become crooked for various reasons.
Baby teeth get pushed to be crooked because they can’t fill the amount of gum space that they’re allocated. Sometimes, the opposite can be true—teeth may crowd the gum, and the chances are that if your baby teeth grow crowded, your permanent teeth will too.
Additionally, habits such as sucking on the thumb or a pacifier can also cause baby teeth to become crooked or pushed out. Trauma to the mouth and tooth decay are also huge problems—these cause baby teeth to fall out earlier than they should and result in teeth growing out slanted instead of straight. Sometimes, even for no fault of their own, some people can end up with crooked teeth, thanks to heredity and genetics.
Some other causes of misaligned teeth can include:
- Jaw Size: This is not just an individual issue—it’s a species issue! With changing diets, our jaws have also massively changed in size, compared to our prehistoric forefathers. Therefore, evolution can be a very genuine reason behind those misaligned pearly whites.
- Bad Habits: Repetitive myofunctional actions (actions that affect the functions of facial muscles and the mouth) can define the alignment of your teeth. Therefore, poor habits like prolonged bottle usage, thumb-sucking, and tongue thrusting can cause misaligned teeth.
- Malocclusion: A misaligned jaw, where your upper teeth don’t sit slightly over your lower teeth as they’re meant to and your upper molars don’t fit into the grooves of your lower molars, results in malocclusion. Underbites and overbites are common misalignments; your upper teeth protrude further than your lower teeth in the latter and vice versa in the former.
- Other Causes: Poor dental care, poor nutrition and facial injuries can also result in misaligned teeth.
Can You Straighten Teeth Naturally?
Long story short, no. You cannot straighten teeth naturally since aligning your teeth involves applying a significant amount of continuous pressure on the gums and the teeth, which isn’t really possible without proper orthodontic treatment. You’d have to find a way to naturally apply at least a year’s worth of the kind of pressure and do the adjusting that comes with braces—needless to say, this isn’t very easily or naturally achievable!
However, many folks swear by home remedies such as using your finger to apply pressure on the gums and teeth, or using dental floss or using your tongue to do the work that braces generally do. All these methods need to be continuously practised for years for you to be able to see any results, if there are any at all.
Unless you’ve got the patience to wait years for your perfect smile, invisible aligners and home teeth-straightening kits are a better idea. Most brands are quite reasonably priced, letting you pay in instalments or on a monthly basis and even accounting for insurance.
How to Straighten Teeth Naturally
While using your finger and tongue probably won’t fix your smile, using home teeth-straightening kits may get you considerably better results. Of course, nothing is as effective as letting your orthodontist do the work, but for minor misalignments, home kits work pretty effectively. These kits come with a create-your-own-impression kit that enables you to take your own impressions that you can send back to the company to have your customised retainers created. Some kits even come with teeth whiteners.
The following brands sell great home remedy kits that can help you, if you’re wondering how to straighten teeth naturally:
Many of these brands sell both day and night retainers, and all of them promise quick results. The brands mentioned above have quite excellent ratings, with many folks swearing by the kits. These may not exactly be the answer to how to straighten teeth naturally, but they’re pretty efficient and effective, nonetheless.
The Final Word
Ultimately, remember that teeth cannot be straightened naturally—you need external intervention to help you get that dazzling smile. If you’re not particularly fond of braces or surgery (understandably!), home teeth-straightening kits are a great option to consider. They’re pretty affordable and they get the job done—win-win!
Remember, though, you’re beautiful as you are and straightening your teeth is never essential, unless it’s for medical reasons. If you absolutely want straight teeth, consider investing in foolproof methods like braces—ceramic and lingual braces are practically invisible and can get you the smile you’re longing for.
If not, remember—confidence is the best way to get your perfect smile, so flash those pearly whites proudly!