Can A Dental Implant Make Your Teeth Crooked?
It can feel like a real achievement when your dental implant is in place. Your smile is complete again, courtesy of the prosthetic dental crown firmly anchored to the titanium alloy implant installed in your jaw bone. It's a permanent solution, which is why it can be concerning when in the years to come, it might look as though your implant is crooked. How can this be happening?
Shifting Teeth
For many people, a misaligned smile is addressed in their teen years with the help of an orthodontist. However, orthodontic treatment can still be beneficial well into adulthood, and for some people, the problem may not have become pronounced until adulthood. It's possible for teeth to shift slightly in response to the bite pressure they're subjected to over the years. Additionally, a missing or severely damaged tooth can cause your other teeth to shift slightly as your bite compensates for the tooth in question. But how does this relate to your dental implant?
Anchoring a Tooth
Natural teeth are capable of shifting due to their anchorage. This anchorage is largely supplied by the tooth's periodontal ligament, which is extremely strong, while still being somewhat flexible. A dental implant utilizes a different form of anchorage, and the prosthetic crown is attached to its artificial root (the implant) via a connective abutment. Dental implants are inflexible once they've been installed. They simply cannot move in the way that a natural tooth and its periodontal ligament might.
The Surrounding Teeth
So if it seems that your dental implant has become crooked, it might be the surrounding natural teeth that have shifted position. An imbalanced bite force disrupting the way in which your teeth make contact with each other can have caused this minor movement. Although it might look as though your implant has become crooked, it's likely that it has stayed precisely where it belongs.
Realignment and Your Implant
If it's determined that you require orthodontic assistance to realign your teeth, your dental implant won't obstruct the process. While the lack of any mobility means that the implant and its prosthetic crown cannot be repositioned with orthodontic work, it can in fact be used as an anchor to provide leverage for the forces applied by an orthodontic appliance. Your implant will continue to stay where it should while your natural teeth are slowly and gently pushed back into their correct alignment.
Remember that once properly installed, a dental implant should not move. If it appears to be misaligned, it might be that your other teeth have shifted position.
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