Besides Straight Teeth, What are [Benefits] of Braces?

When you hear about braces, the first thing that comes to your mind is their aesthetic benefits. Well, having a beautiful smile boosts your self-esteem, and that alone can impact positively in your life. However, you can enjoy many other benefits of braces apart from the cosmetic ones. Most people don’t comprehend the growing concerns of having misaligned or improper teeth. Alignment issues also affect functions such as speaking and chewing as well as the overall oral hygiene of an individual. The query of what are the other benefits of braces is still an issue for most parents. Here are other lesser-known benefits of braces.

Enhance digestion

Your digestion will not be excellent if you are not able to chew food properly. Teeth play an integral role in digestion because they partially digest food before it enters the stomach. Food that is not adequately broken down in the mouth takes longer to pass through the digestion system.

Misaligned teeth don’t play their role in digesting food in the mouth effectively, which in turn, affects digestion in the stomach. Therefore, you require braces to align your teeth to ensure that they chew food as needed for easy digestion.

Prevent bone erosion

Gum and bone tissues usually erode when they don’t get support from teeth. The manner in, which your teeth are aligned, usually affects the amount of pressure that is exerted on the jaw when you chew or speak. The pressure plays a vital role in encouraging the growth of bones that hold your teeth in their place.

Misaligned teeth can result in too much pressure that comes down on some teeth when you eat, which over time erodes the bone. Additionally, it also results in a lack of enough pressure on some areas, which causes a lack of stimulation. Consequently, you require braces to ensure that tissues and bones are not likely to erode to support teeth in their new arrangement.

Reduce gum disease and tooth decay

It is difficult to maintain oral hygiene when you have crooked, overcrowded, or overlapped teeth. Plaque and bacteria build up even after brushing and flossing. That causes cavities and gingivitis as well as tooth decay and gum disease. You need an orthodontist to recommend appropriate braces to achieve proper teeth alignment and spacing for effective brushing.

Improves speech issues

Most people don’t realize that speech is affected by other factors apart from the voice. Speech therapy can help but not in all cases especially when the cause is misaligned teeth. The movement of your tongue against your teeth and mouth’s top as you speak aids in the formation of sounds that come out.

Misaligned teeth affect where the tip of the tongue is placed, which affects the proper creation of sounds. When your teeth lean too backward or forward or are out of line, they will affect speaking patterns. As a result, you feel frustrated or embarrassed.

Braces are essential in aligning your teeth to ensure that you have a more precise and more professional speech unlike before. You need to consult an orthodontist to identify the severity of the speech issue and come up with an effective solution that is ideal for the particular needs.

Get rid of harmful habits

Most children and even adults form bad habits as a way of alleviating the pressure that comes with having misaligned teeth. Some of the bad habits people adapt due to misaligned teeth include chewing pencils, biting your lips, and sucking thumbs. As a parent, you need to visit an orthodontist to ensure that you get the right type of braces for your child to eliminate such bad habits.

Improved chewing

Misaligned jaws and teeth lead to difficulties in biting and chewing food efficiently. Your teeth will wear out if you experience this for a long time. Besides, it might also cause the weakening of jaws, which causes painful chewing. Painful chewing also discourages people from taking certain foods, which decreases the nutrients they receive.

How do you know if you need braces?

Orthodontic problems can impact negatively on your oral health if not appropriately addressed. Braces are becoming common in not only children but also in adults. For most people, the question of how do you know if you need braces is a common one.  

Here are signs to look out for:

• Overbite or underbite – if your child’s bite is not correct, then you need to get braces from an orthodontist. Children with an overbite have more prominent upper jaws while those with an underbite have a bigger lower jaw. Braces will correct the issue.
• Crooked or crowded teeth – you need to get braces for your child if you notice overlapped teeth or some teeth sitting sideways. Crowded and crooked teeth are difficult to floss. You can also note crooked or overcrowded teeth if some stick out further than the others.
• Crossbite – it is an abnormal bite where the upper tooth is placed behind the lower opposing tooth. Your child needs braces to prevent asymmetric jaw growth. Crossbite also causes increased recession of the gum of the affected teeth.
• Difficulty in biting or chewing
• Late, irregular or early loss of baby teeth

What are the different types of braces?

Your orthodontist will recommend the appropriate type of braces for your dental issue. The question of what are the different types of braces is one that lingers in the minds of many.  

joelgluck

Dr. Joel Gluck has practiced orthodontics since 1983 when he opened his own office in Nashville. He earned his undergraduate degree at Washington University in St. Louis, and his dental degree at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Gluck then completed an orthodontic specialty residency at the University of Michigan, one of the top five orthodontic training residencies in the country. He also wrote an original thesis and received a Master of Science degree.