Though countless children, teens, and adults pursue orthodontic care because they are unhappy with the cosmetics of their smile, it is not the only reason to obtain orthodontic treatment! The alignment of your teeth and jaw is vital to maintaining excellent physical health. The following is a list of our top 5 health benefits of straight teeth created by our orthodontist team at Dietrich & Kelso Orthodontics.
1.) Prevents Digestive Issues
The alignment of your teeth is crucial to your mouth’s ability to effectively perform the first step in the digestive process! How? We’ll tell you!
Teeth are supposed to break down food before you swallow it, but the importance of chewing goes beyond that! Thoroughly chewing food also stimulates saliva production, which helps lubricate the throat and clump food together to prevent choking. Additionally, chewing primes the stomach to digest the food you swallow. Breaking food down into smaller pieces is essential to maximize nutrient intake and to avoid large clumps of food from getting stuck in the digestive tract, which can lead to a build-up of bacteria and encourage indigestion, bloating, constipation, gas, bad breath, and heartburn.
Because of this, eating can quickly become uncomfortable and discouraging, making it an uninviting chore. If you associate eating with negative emotions, you are more at risk of developing unhealthy habits and malnutrition. Orthodontic care can make eating much more enjoyable and beneficial, two things you should want and expect from a necessary part of your daily routine.
2.) Easier To Keep Teeth And Gums Healthy
Improperly aligned teeth can make oral hygiene a frustrating challenge. Crooked teeth can create hard-to-reach nooks and crannies that hide bacteria, plaque, and food from your sight and oral hygiene tools. Over time, a build-up of these unwanted invaders can cause bad breath, tooth decay, gum disease, infections, and other oral health issues. If left alone long enough, your oral health concerns could produce permanent cosmetic and health damage to your teeth and gums, including tooth loss!
Malocclusion makes teeth more vulnerable to the above conditions because overcrowded teeth rub against each other and weaken your enamel, the protective layer on your teeth. Without sufficient protection, bacteria and plaque have a much easier time attacking your teeth. Unfortunately, damage to your enamel is irreversible, though you can strengthen your enamel using fluoride products.
Properly cleaned teeth and gums have a lower risk of oral health concerns. When your teeth are straighter, protecting your enamel and cleaning your teeth and gums is more effortless.
3.) Reduce or Eliminate Related Pain
Uneven pressure and abnormal stress on the jaw from improper teeth alignment could result in headaches, migraines, and neck pain. If left untreated, this tension can eventually lead to TMJ, an uncomfortable condition triggered by a jaw that cannot function properly. TMJ is, unfortunately, a lifetime condition for most people once it develops.
Gum disease, tooth decay, TMJ, and digestive issues have the potential to create various degrees of discomfort and pain. Luckily, you can avoid most problems or manage their symptoms with dental and orthodontic care.
4.) Helps To Better Breathing Difficulties
Improperly aligned jaws can force the formation of narrow air passageways, which produce breathing problems such as (including but not limited to) shortness of breath, dry mouth, and sleep disorders like sleep apnea. Some symptoms include difficulty catching breath, chest pain, fatigue, irritability, and increased risk of infections and sores.
Braces and their accessories (like rubber bands that attach to both rows of teeth) can put your teeth and jaw in more favorable positions and make a noticeable improvement to your breathing abilities.
5.) Improves Mental Health
Did you know your smile plays a significant role in your mental health? It’s true! Your teeth alignment can negatively impact your quality of life by reducing your odds of getting a job, making friends, and getting second dates. At Dietrich & Kelso Orthodontics, we believe that everyone is beautiful and make sure our patients know that before, during, and after treatment. But in complete honesty, sadly, society views the undesirable cosmetic appearance of your teeth as unattractive or related to negative personality traits. Because of this, those with malocclusion are likely to feel isolated and have depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and other mental health issues.
Orthodontic care can upgrade your lifestyle by positively changing how you and others perceive you.
Let Dietrich & Kelso Orthodontics Create Your Personalized Treatment Plan!
Dietrich & Kelso Orthodontics is passionate about orthodontic care and would love to discuss how treatment can personally benefit you and enhance your quality of life! To discover which of our fantastic treatment options (metal braces, clear braces,and Invisalign) can help you or your family, contact our offices in Lakeland and surrounding areas to schedule your free consultation today!