Mr. William Austin Kimbrough, DDS MS

Taken to an extreme, teeth are more likely to break than erode with clenching. However, seldom does one clench their teeth without the associated grinding, also known as bruxism.
Grinding or bruxism wears the teeth, and leaves marks on them depending on the severity and the time. Erosion is normally caused by another issue, such as gastric reflux disease, but to the untrained eye, the effects may appear similar.

When the lower jaw and teeth are ahead of the upper teeth and jaw, that condition is called Class III. It is sometimes possible that the problem is only tooth related, and can be corrected with braces accompanied by other appliances. If, however, the problem is the jaw bones themselves, then the only option is to finish the growth of the jaws, and have the problem surgically corrected. Sometimes, it is possible during the growth of the face to modify the directions of growth of the jaws and prevent the need for surgery. I would recommend you seek the services of a real orthodontist ASAP.

The normal order in which permanent teeth come in:

First, the first molars come in back of the mouth, the far end of all of the baby teeth. Lower first, normally about six months later, the upper. Around the age of 6.
Later, and speed of which they come in is governed by genetics, not that chart you see that is not even a good average the two front in the lower, followed by the upper about six months later. Then, the next in line is the two lower front teeth offset to the side of the center ones. Then, the uppers in the same location, again six months later. Then, the third tooth from the center in the lower, followed by the upper. There might be some variation from this order, as sometimes the fourth tooth will come in rather than the third. Normally, lower then upper.

It is important to realize that if all the baby teeth are lined up nicely, without any gaps between them, crowding is a natural consequence, as the secondary teeth are invariably larger than the primary teeth. Crowding and displacement from the normal alignment can be caused by not only a lack of space, but by extra teeth, which sometimes occur, by displacement of teeth outside of their normal spots, and their running into other teeth, forcing them into wrong positions. All that is probably best checked out by someone who knows what is going on. A children's dentist, or an orthodontist.

The biggest problem with thumb sucking is not the unsightly teeth, but the strong possibility that the bone which holds the teeth will be modified to the point that the skeletal structure is malformed. This frequently happens, and then the skeleton of the face which holds the teeth is distorted to the point that the teeth, being held by the skeleton, require extreme measures to be aligned. Additionally, frequently, the thumb habit will lead to a mouth breathing habit that will persist for years, if not for life, and create what is called open bite. An open bite can be fixed orthodontically, but most of the time will result after treatment with a relapse either partial, the most probable result, or fully.
So, bottom line, the thumb needs to be out of there asap.

You should read the directions and warnings on the strips. You will find that not only are the symptoms you describe covered and warned about, but there are more severe symptoms such as sensitivity of the teeth also a possibility. The braces have no relationship to the symptoms you are experiencing created by the bleaching affects of the strips.

Braces on the upper teeth will sometimes work.. The issues which will cause this to be a bad idea are; Bite will not fit together , creating an overbite, underbite, or what we call an end on bite. Also, frequently the reason that the teeth are not properly aligned is that the bite not only in the front , but the back is bad. If this is the case, you are doomed to a lifetime of at least 12 hour a day retention, as the bite being good is what uses the lower teeth to support the upper, and vice versa.

Thumb sucking will not change the shape of the teeth, but can and will cause a giant change in the growth of the jaws. Once the jaws have been changed from their normal growth and development, other associated habits such as tongue thrust, and mouth breathing can be added to the problem, and change the shape of the entire face . Unless corrected early, for life.

Depend on how long each day, each session, he uses the bottle. A big, maybe a bigger issue, however, is what is in the bottle. Many children who develop a habit with the bottle for long periods of time end up with a condition called rampant decay, in which many if not most of the teeth have large irrestorable cavities. Then teeth are removed, spaces left just close up on their own, and as the permanent teeth erupt, the bite and alignment of the mouth is severely impaired. Another possible issue is the development of an open bite habit due to the tongue/lip posture associated with the bottle habit. This habit if carried through during the growth and development period of the child's growth ,which happens all of the time, will detrimentally influence the shape of the jaws and face, not to mention the malformation of the teeth.

Probably your lip is just not used to the extra hardware, and you probably need a little layer of wax.

There are several possibilities of problems which can all cause the teeth to move even with retainer wear. For example, there may be a gum issue involved. There is something called a frenum, part of the gums, which can cause the teeth to spread. There could be an issue of pressure from the wisdom teeth trying to come in. The bite may not be perfect, and the pressure from that eruption could cause the teeth to move. You may have an oral habit, one of which is sometimes called a tongue thrust which will cause the teeth to move. There are many others, but without a good look, I cannot give a good diagnosis or reason.

The problem is also what is causing the one tooth to be crooked.
Is there a lack of space? Was this caused by a baby tooth being too slow to be lost? Is this tooth fitting improperly with the opposite jaw teeth? Is there too much space, is there something in the gums against the root of the crooked tooth?
All of these and more are possible problems which cause the tooth to be misaligned. So, the answer is never as simple as it would seem and needs further analysis before a definitive answer. Once the real reason for the tooth being in the wrong place is answered, then the course of alignment is much easier to decide.

Every day you are alive your body changes slightly, and since your teeth are part of that body, they can and will change also. Normally, they change in very small increments, but that adds up over the course of time, and ultimately the alignment, and even the bite can change. The alignment can be preserved, but with retainers. The good news is that they can be kept straight, but like everything else in life, it requires maintenance.