We all want a Hollywood smile, but fear the discomfort and length of a proper orthodontic treatment. Besides an improved look, there are more benefits of braces to present in this article.
From the first types of rudimentary braces to the newest orthodontic appliances, straightening your teeth has remained a tedious process that takes a long time and is not something to look for. And yet we advise you to go forward, if you do need braces.
What Are the Benefits of Braces Besides Straight Teeth?
Straight teeth are clearly a huge benefit for someone who undergoes an orthodontic treatment.
We could talk about how properly aligned teeth are healthier and stronger till we’re blue in the face, but the main reason MOST people go through this entire process is that they want to have beautiful teeth.
Any good orthodontist will focus on how to improve your dental health, but they also know you want to look in the mirror and see a gorgeous smile. Fortunately most of the time a successful orthodontic treatment will give you this smile as well.
Braces can prevent teeth from erupting in the wrong position
There are many orthodontics patients who started their treatment later in life, when teeth have already erupted and got misaligned.
Yet there’s an increased number of younger patients who get braces way earlier.
If the dentist suspects your child’s teeth will erupt in a wrong position (something a routine dental x-ray should show), early orthodontic treatment could help fix the problem before it appears.
Braces would guide teeth into their proper position and save you more headaches afterwards.
Braces will make your jaw pain cease
If you have a misaligned bite (something many orthodontic patients suffer from), this causes frequent jaw pain, headaches and even lock jaw.
Since the treatment doesn’t address only the beauty side (a nice smile), it will help solve your bite problems and make the other issues disappear.
As soon as your malocclusion is treated, you’ll notice the jaw pain you faced for years suddenly disappeared.
Straight teeth are easier to clean, so braces improve your oral health
Most people who suffer from crowded teeth find it almost impossible to have their teeth cleaned perfectly. Even flossing and brushing carefully can’t clean teeth that are crowded and this means bad breath and tooth decay.
As soon as you finish your orthodontic treatment you’ll notice that your teeth can be cleaned way better than before.
Braces prevent tooth decay
Since crowded teeth are harder to keep clean, tooth decay can become an issue. Expensive visits to the dentist, pain and suffering, all can be a thing of the past, by straightening your teeth.
By wearing braces you’ll be able to repair your bucked teeth, underbites and a wide range of orthodontic issues by allowing you to properly brush and floss. This, in return, should help you keep healthier teeth for longer.
Orthodontic braces prevent jawbone erosion
A lot of the patients suffer from “bad bite”, which leads to pain during mastication and in time even jawbone erosion. If your occlusion is not perfect, every day eating and speaking will put a strain on your jaws and even damage it. Braces help with bad bites, since the orthodontist will also address this issue during the treatment, so the result is that your jaws will become properly aligned.
Successful orthodontic treatments allow patients to not feel jaw pain anymore and then jawbone erosion will stop.
Braces Improve your speech
Of course, during your braces treatment you might sport a lisp (especially for the lingual braces patients). It’s something temporary though, you will learn to speak properly with braces on anyway.
The good news is that, by straightening your teeth and properly aligning your bite, you will speak better, as most diction issues will disappear.
Braces Help with Digestion
When you suffer from jaw pain and maybe have a decayed tooth as well, masticating is an issue. This means that you either need to eat only pureed foods or will swallow food that wasn’t chewed properly. In time, these will lead to gastrointestinal problems, as your body doesn’t receive its nutrients in an optimum manner.
Since braces treat misaligned teeth and jaw, you will soon be able to chew better and your digestion will improve dramatically.
Orthodontic braces Reduce Bad Breath
Bad breath (halitosis) is mainly caused by poor oral hygiene and cavities. If you cannot properly brush and floss your teeth, you will soon notice that your breath starts to smell badly. All the bacteria buildup, tartar and even the new cavities you’ll soon have will make your breath smell worse by the day.
Since properly aligned teeth will make flossing and brushing a breeze, your braces will also make your halitosis a thing of the past.
Braces Promote Better Brushing Habits
After undergoing an orthodontic treatment for months/years, one thing is sure: you’ll develop way better oral hygiene habits.
Braces Help with Self-Esteem
And now we get back to the main idea: most orthodontic patients suffer from low self-esteem, because of how their teeth look. By finishing your orthodontic treatment you’ll also notice a big boost in your confidence