A smile is like a fingerprint — completely unique to you. But unlike your fingerprints, it’s something the whole world gets to see. You might consider your snaggletooth part of your signature smile, a little quirk that gives you character. Or you might see it more as a flaw that you’d love to correct.
If the latter is true for you, know that you have the power to change your smile. While each person has their own perfect solution, you can pull that tooth into alignment, address issues with other teeth, and fall in love with your look. But can at-home aligners do all that? Let’s find out!
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Snaggletooth Overview
Not all cases of snaggletooth are the same, but the one universal feature is one tooth out of alignment with the rest. It might be crooked, protruding, recessed, twisted, or just shaped differently than your other teeth.
Some people have had their snaggletooth ever since their adult teeth came in. Others developed it later in life after habits or declining oral health caused dental shifts. However, in nearly all cases, it is indicative of crowding.
Here are a few of the most common causes of snaggletooth:
Childhood Thumb-Sucking
Yes, your snaggletooth could stem from a habit you dropped decades ago. Many babies and toddlers naturally suck their thumbs to self-soothe. If this continues after the baby teeth come in, it can shift their position in the gums. The adult teeth emerge along that same path, putting them out of alignment.
Early Loss of Baby Teeth
The average age to lose a first tooth is six, and most children have lost their last one by age twelve. But some kids lose their teeth before the age of five, either due to trauma or just their teeth maturing differently. This also alters the path of their adult teeth, potentially causing snaggletooth.
Tongue Thrust
The tongue is a powerful muscle, and while the teeth and their ligaments are strong, repetitive pressure from the tongue can move them. Tongue thrust is an unconscious habit most often seen in infants and toddlers, but even adults can develop it.
Large Teeth
People come in all shapes and sizes — and so do their teeth! This usually isn’t an issue unless they are so large that your jaw can’t fit them. When this happens, the teeth fight for space, pushing one or more out of alignment.
A Small Jaw
Even if your teeth are average-sized, if your jaw is too small, there won’t be enough room for them. This irregularity has many causes, from genetics to nutrition. However, the result is the same: the teeth fight for space and one or more end up out of alignment.
Bruxism
You might not know the term bruxism but you likely know the actions that define it: unconscious grinding and/or clenching of the teeth. The stress this places on the teeth, gums, and jawbone can cause gingival and bone loss, leading to tooth migration — even well into adulthood.
Gum Disease and Bone Loss
These two are the reason the teeth migrate with bruxism, but that isn’t the only condition that can cause them. No matter their cause, gum disease and bone loss allow the teeth to shift out of place, which can result in a snaggletooth. Just be sure to get these issues treated, since they can cause significant problems left unchecked.
Can At-Home Clear Aligners Fix a Snaggletooth?
In short: it’s possible, but not always. It depends on the complexity of your overall misalignment and the nature of your snaggletooth. The only way to know for sure is to purchase an impression kit or go in for dental scans, but here are the types of snaggletooth at-home aligners typically can and can’t treat.
Cases They Can’t Treat
If your alignment issues, on the whole, are too severe for at-home aligner treatment to correct, they won’t be able to fix your snaggletooth, since that requires making room.
As noted above, a snaggletooth might just be out of position, or it might be rotated. It can also sit too high or too low compared to the other teeth. Each at-home aligner company varies in the degree of rotation it can treat, but the maximum is 15 degrees. Compare that to the 20–30-degree rotation in-office aligners can correct. As for raising and lowering teeth, even in-office aligners struggle with this; you might need braces instead.
General Limitations of At-Home Clear Aligners
At-home aligners have been gaining in popularity over the last several years thanks to the fast, affordable, and convenient treatment they offer. But while they have many advantages over traditional in-office aligners like Invisalign, scope of treatment is not one of them.
At-home aligners can only treat mild-to-moderate misalignments. For example, most can close front teeth gaps, but only if they are less than 3mm wide. They can move teeth to eliminate crowding, but only in the front six teeth.
Much of this limitation is because they cannot incorporate attachments, which is where in-office aligners get their power. A dentist or orthodontist must place these attachments in person. When fixed to the teeth, they give the aligners extra grip, letting them generate more force while exercising finer control over movements. So, can at-home aligners address snaggletooth?
Best At-Home Aligners for Snaggletooth
#1: Byte
Byte is our top-ranked at-home aligner company. They say their average treatment plan lasts 4–5 months, they approve every customer for financing, and they guarantee their results for life. On their website, Byte says that at-home aligners are effective for mild cases of snaggletooth, so if you want an efficient treatment with personalized customer support, they could be a great choice.
Check out reviews from real Byte customers on how it helped correct their cases of snaggletooth.
Pros
- Byte includes their high-frequency vibration device, the HyperByte, in the cost of your aligner bundle. There’s evidence that devices like this may provide a more comfortable aligner fit and faster dental shifts for some customers.
- Byte assigns every customer a personal advisor who will check in throughout treatment.
- Byte’s At-Night aligners use a thicker, grind-resistant material to straighten teeth even with less daily wear time.
- Their Byte for Life guarantee promises that if your teeth shift back after completing treatment, they’ll give you new aligners to realign your smile for free (as long as you purchase retainers every six months and wear them as instructed).
- Unlike some of their competitors, Byte’s financing plan doesn’t require a credit check. This means you can get started with treatment faster and without impacting your credit score.
Cons
- Byte doesn’t have any locations where you can get a professional teeth scan, so you’ll need to purchase an impression kit to get started.
- Like most teledentistry services, Byte can’t treat severe cases of snaggletooth, especially ones that require rotating, raising, or lowering the tooth.
- Byte recommends submitting photos of your teeth every month, but doesn’t require any regular remote monitoring unless you have certain cases.
#2: Candid
Candid pairs the convenience of at-home treatment with the hands-on care of in-office aligners. To get started, you’ll visit a local dentist, who will collaborate with Candid’s team to monitor your progress remotely. Candid can move all the teeth, including the molars, and although they’re restricted to mild and moderate misalignments, they can still treat some milder cases of snaggletooth.
Pros
- You’ll have a local dentist involved with your treatment. After an initial in-person visit, they’ll partner with Candid to evaluate your regular remote check-ins.
- They provide a specialized ScanBox and mobile app to help you submit photos of your teeth every 14 days.
- Candid’s treatment plans can move all the teeth (when necessary), rather than just the front ones. Other services only focus on the front teeth and premolars.
- Candid’s mobile app gives you easy access to their support team seven days a week.
Cons
- Candid treatment is only available to people who live near one of their 300+ in-network dentists.
- Because Candid treatment incorporates in-office care, it’s quite a bit more expensive than entirely remote services like Byte. However, it’s often still less expensive than Invisalign.
- While the other services on this list offer nighttime-only treatment options, Candid treatment is intended only for all-day wear. Your local dentist will ultimately prescribe the wear schedule, but you can expect to wear your aligners for 22+ hours/day.
#3: SmileDirectClub
SmileDirectClub was the first company to bring remote aligner treatment to the masses, and since their start in 2014, they’ve treated more than 1.8 million people. They have over 100 clinics across the US where you can get your teeth scanned for free, plus they offer nighttime-only aligners, a lifetime warranty, and extensive refund policies. Like other at-home aligners, they can only treat mild-to-moderate misalignments, but their customers have reported satisfaction with how SmileDirectClub corrected their mild cases of snaggletooth.
See what real reviewers with snaggletooth had to say about their SmileDirectClub experience here.
Pros
- If you live near one of their 100+ SmileShops, you can get an in-person dental scan instead of purchasing an impression kit.
- They also have a Partner Network that includes more than 1,000 dentists, so you can get your treatment started with a consultation in a dentist’s office, if you’d prefer.
- Offers guaranteed treatment financing over 28 months through Smilepay. No credit check required.
- SmileDirectClub has a 30-day money-back guarantee, and they’ll issue prorated refunds for unused and unopened aligners after that.
- Their Lifetime Smile Guarantee will provide new aligners if your teeth shift out of place in the future, as long as you purchase two sets of retainers every year and wear them as directed.
Cons
- SmileDirectClub’s customer support has historically been hit-or-miss. They’ve accrued past complaints about shipping delays and inconsistent communication.
- SmileDirectClub charges an additional $125 fee for retainers after treatment. In contrast, competitors like Byte include your first of aftercare retainers for free.
- SmileDirectClub requests photos of your teeth every 90 days, which is less frequent than Candid and some other remote aligner companies.
Snaggletooth and Oral Health: What You Should Know
Regardless of the cause, a snaggletooth means at least one of your teeth is out of alignment. This raises an important question: does having one little tooth out of alignment cause big problems?
Not always. In fact, many people go their entire lives without their snaggletooth causing a single issue. But there are reasons it might be a problem for your overall oral health. Below are some complications that might arise from leaving your snaggletooth untreated.
Cavities
Brushing alone doesn’t get into all the nooks and crannies of our teeth; it’s the whole reason we floss. Snaggletooth ups the risk of cavities developing since the tooth’s position can make it hard for even floss to eliminate plaque and food particles. Professional cleanings get into tight spaces better, but they’re just twice a year and cavities can happen between appointments.
Periodontal Disease
If a tooth is misaligned, the root is also out of place, which can put pressure on the surrounding tissues. Over time, this causes gum recession, making gingival pockets that can get infected. Infection can lead to tooth and bone loss and even leave the roots exposed, causing severe pain.
Properly aligned teeth distribute bite forces evenly. A snaggletooth automatically throws off this distribution, which can cause cracks, chips, and even complete breakage. You’ll then need restorative dentistry or this will progress into tooth decay.
Altered Speech
Because we form sounds by connecting the tongue with the teeth, any alterations in the standard tooth alignment can throw off our speech. In most cases, it’s not noticeable, but depending on the snaggletooth’s location, it might be.
Final Thoughts
To fix or not to fix? That’s the snaggletooth question. And the answer depends on your unique situation. If you love your snaggletooth and it isn’t causing problems, you can safely keep it. But if you don’t love the look or it complicates your oral health, you should consider correcting it.
At-home aligners might work well if your overall alignment is good and your snaggletooth doesn’t require raising, lowering, or significantly rotating the teeth. If your teeth need to be raised or lowered, look into braces instead. And if the rotation is slightly more than at-home aligner treatment can handle, consider an in-office option like Invisalign or ClearCorrect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a snaggletooth cause pain?
A snaggletooth isn’t inherently painful. However, it can lead to tooth decay, gum disease, or food particles to get trapped between the teeth — all of which can cause discomfort.
Is it OK to whiten my teeth if I have a snaggletooth?
Yes, you can absolutely have a white smile with a snaggletooth. The key is choosing the right whitening method. Strips do best on even teeth, so you are unlikely to get uniform results if you have a snaggletooth. But options like pens and custom trays with gel should give you the boost you want.
How can I make sure my snaggletooth is truly clean?
Discuss it with your general dentist. They can figure out the perfect plan for cleaning your unique snaggletooth. That said, an electric toothbrush with a smaller, rotating head will get into smaller spaces better. You can also use a water pick for flossing.
Can snaggletooth be hereditary?
Yes, but this isn’t always the case. Often, habits and poor oral hygiene play the biggest roles in snaggletooth development. So don’t run and blame your parents just yet.
Are certain teeth more likely to develop snaggletooth?
The canines are most susceptible to snaggletooth. This is because they have narrow roots, so when the stronger molars press against them, they can shift out of place. As a result, the molars are also the least likely teeth to present with snaggletooth.
What’s the best age to fix a snaggletooth?
Early treatment is best, so as soon as you notice it, if you want it gone, treat it. As with all orthodontic conditions, treatment is easier in childhood and adolescence, but you can still correct it as an adult.
Are in-office or at-home aligners better for correcting snaggletooth?
In-office aligners have a wider scope of treatment. They can correct up to a 30-degree rotation and some, like Clarity by 3M, can slightly raise and lower the teeth.
Can pacifiers cause snaggletooth?
They can, but it’s less likely to since they are softer than a thumb. Plus, parents can take them away and deal with the fits, which isn’t something you can do with a thumb.
Can you be too old to fix snaggletooth?
No, but the older you are, the more likely you are to have issues like tooth decay and gum disease, which can prevent or delay treatment.
What happens if my snaggletooth has already caused root exposure?
Your dentist can use dental filling to protect the root or complete a gum graft. Filling works for minor cases while gum grafts are for more extreme ones.
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