{"id":26440,"date":"2019-05-10T10:00:41","date_gmt":"2019-05-10T16:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cityorthopeds.com\/\/?p=26440"},"modified":"2024-04-09T11:48:52","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T17:48:52","slug":"straightening-teeth-is-the-goal-but-what-else-can-braces-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cityorthopeds.com\/2019\/05\/straightening-teeth-is-the-goal-but-what-else-can-braces-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Straightening Teeth is the Goal, But What Else Can Braces Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no secret that the universal reason patients decide to get braces is because their smile is crooked – especially in today\u2019s society, the general population desires straight teeth. It\u2019s estimated that\u00a0over 4 million people\u00a0in Canada and the United States alone have braces.<\/p>\n

What many patients don\u2019t consider is all the other ways their lives will change once they\u2019ve completed their\u00a0orthodontic treatment<\/a>. While your smile will certainly be straighter and you\u2019ll be far more confident in showing it off, there are even more benefits that directly pertain to your oral health.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not uncommon for certain health issues to be associated with\u00a0misaligned or crooked teeth<\/a>. When you have misaligned teeth, your teeth will often overlap, and create tight spaces that are difficult to reach. This presents a huge problem when it comes time to stay on top of your oral health, and have an effective\u00a0brushing and flossing routine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are all the positives of choosing the route of orthodontic treatment, and a look at all the headaches and dental trouble it may save you in the future!<\/p>\n

Avoid Potential Tooth Decay and Gum Disease<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

As we said in the section above, misaligned teeth can create tight spaces that make\u00a0proper cleaning<\/a>\u00a0merely a pipe dream. When these tight spaces are left untouched by a toothbrush and floss, it allows bacteria to build up in the crevices, and pave the way to more serious problems.<\/p>\n

This can happen when food or other particles become lodged in these crevices, and are left to create even more bacteria in these areas. If the only person that can eradicate the bacteria and clean these areas is your dentist, this means it has ample time to build up between appointments, and become a problem.<\/p>\n

When this bacteria is left to manifest, you begin to enter dangerous territory. This opens the door for more issues such as\u00a0plaque build up<\/a>, which can, if left untreated, turn into both\u00a0tooth decay<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0gum disease<\/a>. Tooth decay can cause the patient severe pain and sensitivity, especially when biting down – the latter can be indicative of a cavity, maybe even more than one.<\/p>\n

Gum disease, on the other hand, is a little bit more serious. It begins innocently enough – bleeding gums, the recession of the gums. You may notice that your teeth appear to be longer than you previously recall.<\/p>\n

While the symptoms are innocent at first, the worst case scenario is tooth loosening, potentially even\u00a0tooth loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While orthodontic care can\u2019t ensure immaculate oral health, it can certainly fix spacing and misalignment issues to lessen the chances of you having to deal with these problems in the future.<\/p>\n

Ditch Difficulties with Speech<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Surprisingly enough, your teeth do play a fairly substantial role in the way you speak. If teeth are extremely crooked or unevenly spaced, this can sometimes cause noticeable speech impediments.<\/p>\n

These impediments can be embarrassing, while causing slurring, imperfect speech, even whistling depending on the situation. This can make everything from normal conversation to phone calls difficult and stressful.<\/p>\n

Orthodontic treatment<\/a> can help to close these gaps, improving pronunciation, helping to make speech more clear and concise, and eliminate any awkward or embarrassing speech mishaps.<\/p>\n

Improve Your Chewing and Digestion<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

When patients are weighing the pros and cons of braces, it\u2019s unlikely that digestion plays a huge factor in their decision – however, it really is one of the main benefits!<\/p>\n

While you\u2019re eating, and before you swallow the food, your\u00a0teeth are working to partially digest the food<\/a>\u00a0before it reaches your actual digestive system. This process is at its best when teeth are very straight, but when they\u2019re out of line or crooked, they may not break down your food as well. This could lead to digestive complications, depending on the severity of the issue.<\/p>\n

With severe misalignment, eating can become a challenge. If your\u00a0bite is particularly bad<\/a>\u00a0and biting down is a difficult task, chewing can become irritating, even painful. Your teeth and jaw can also become worn down and weaker from having to work so much overtime.<\/p>\n

Braces will ensure you\u2019re able to have confidence in eating all types of foods, ensure comfort while eating, and eliminate any pain while doing so.<\/p>\n

With the help of braces to straighten your smile, you\u2019ll be able to break down your food before it even reaches your stomach, making for better and healthier eating habits. Having straighter teeth and a new smile may even encourage you to be extra cautious when taking care of it, and\u00a0improve your diet<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Say No to Bone Erosion (Bone Loss)<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Bone and gum tissues have the important role of supporting your teeth. When there is nothing there to support, they will begin to\u00a0erode<\/a>\u00a0and wear. Misaligned teeth are also very prone to instigating this erosion; with large spacing, gaps, and too much applied pressure on the jaw due to an incorrect or bad bite, the bones and tissues are more likely to experience wear.<\/p>\n

With braces bringing new alignment to your teeth, the tissues and bones are less likely to experience this; this is for a few different reasons. Braces can:<\/p>\n