When you think about braces, you probably think of straight teeth. Although teeth straightening is one of the main advantages of wearing braces, dentists and orthodontists advise them for other reasons. There are more advantages to having braces than just appearance. Even though orthodontic braces might make you smile more attractively, let’s look at how they can also benefit your overall health.
Prevention of Gum Disease
You’ve probably heard of gum disease and are doing everything possible to prevent it. A significant long-term advantage of braces is a decreased risk of gum disease. Inflammation, a typical symptom of gum disease, is brought on by poor dental hygiene habits, which result in the accumulation of bacterial plaque on the teeth.
Teeth that are misaligned are more prone to retain food particles and bacterial plaque, which over time, can lead to gum disease and a variety of other health problems. By straightening your teeth, braces make brushing and flossing considerably more straightforward and efficient.
Prevention of Tooth Decay
Using braces, as with gum disease, might minimize your risk of getting tooth decay. However, uneven wear and tear is more likely to occur when the teeth overlap or are more noticeable. In addition, they contribute differently to the biting and chewing process and might be challenging to clean.
Bacteria can fester and grow when plaque and food debris are not removed between teeth. Bacteria eat away at the surface enamel of teeth, resulting in decay.
Braces can help prevent dental decay by straightening the teeth, making them easier to clean and maintain.
Improvement of Digestive Health
You must chew food correctly to ensure your digestion is healthy. Since they partially digest food before it enters the stomach, teeth are essential for digestion. In addition, food not sufficiently broken down in the mouth requires more time to process during digestion.
Since misaligned teeth are ineffective at breaking down food in the mouth, stomach digestion is affected. Therefore, it would help to have braces to straighten your teeth to chew food properly for easier digestion.
Bone Erosion Prevention
Tooth misalignment frequently results in bone loss. This happens when bacteria start eroding the bones. Braces move periodontal ligaments by stretching connective tissues and nerves. After settling into their new position over time, the bones will naturally begin to regenerate.
Enhanced Chewing
Misaligned jaws and teeth cause inefficient biting and chewing of food. If you endure this for a long time, your teeth will deteriorate. On top of that, it could also result in jaw weakness, which makes chewing difficult.
As a result, some avoid eating certain meals because they find it painful to chew, reducing the nutrients they consume.
Better Mental Health
One of the most remarkable things about braces is how much they may improve someone’s self-esteem. People frequently lack the confidence to display their crooked teeth proudly.
Anxiety and low self-esteem may result from this. So it’s comforting to know that braces are a short-term treatment option that may give you a lifetime of a warm, confident smile.
Speech Enhancement
Overbites and underbites, both caused by jaw misalignment, can significantly affect a person’s speech. An overbite, for instance, could cause a lisp. Braces can help align teeth and lips that aren’t in the right place, improving speech.
Braces can move the teeth’ position for more transparency and professional speaking. In addition, they have the ability to relocate problematic teeth that may be creating humiliating speech problems.
Decreased Chance of Teeth Damage
Not only do your misaligned teeth make things challenging since they do not meet, but they also hurt when they come in touch with one another. In addition, your teeth may not fit together perfectly, which can lead to excess pressure being placed on the areas of your teeth and jaw where the top and bottom teeth overlap, causing pain and discomfort.
Moreover, teeth grinding may result in enamel erosion and bad teeth, triggering more severe issues like tooth decay.
Given this, dental braces move your teeth into a healthier alignment in your mouth, reducing grinding and protecting your teeth.
Need to Fix Dental Alignment?
Misaligned teeth and jaws are a frequent problem that may be easily fixed with braces or Invisalign. Beyond improving the aesthetics of your mouth, smiling better offers other advantages. Find out about your treatment choices by calling us at Zara Dental in Houston, Texas!
