Benefits Of Braces? What Are The Advantages?
When it comes to straightening teeth and improving their smile, braces are a common treatment option. Despite the widespread use of traditional metal braces, ceramic braces, lingual braces, and Invisalign braces are now available as well. The benefits of orthodontic treatment are numerous, regardless of the type of braces you choose. Our goal here is to help you achieve a healthier, more attractive smile by exploring some of the key benefits of braces.
Table of Contents
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.
Here are some types of braces:
• Traditional braces – such braces are manufactured from metal brackets and high-grade stainless steel. Traditional braces are attached using a particular type of cement. The brackets are linked using a thin archwire to put pressure on your teeth so that they can be aligned to the right position.
• Damon braces – orthodontists are using this type of braces now more than before. It offers a gentler mode of treatment than other types. Additionally, you will not need to visit orthodontists as often as you would with other models. Damon braces make use of a slide mechanism for treatment, unlike other braces that use an elastic device to connect the archwires.
• Ceramic braces – they have brackets made from transparent and clear ceramic material, unlike the traditional braces. Ceramic braces are less visible than other types, which makes them a preferred choice for most patients. Patients are encouraged to give fluoride to teeth when they have ceramic braces to prevent them from cavities.
Conclusion
For straightening teeth and improving your smile, braces are a highly effective treatment option. The benefits of orthodontic treatment are numerous, regardless of whether you choose traditional metal braces, ceramic braces, lingual braces, or Invisalign. Your oral health will improve, your smile will look more attractive, and your self-confidence will increase with braces. The end result is well worth the effort and time it takes to wear braces. An orthodontist can help you determine the best treatment plan if you are considering braces for yourself or a loved one.
Gluck Orthodontics
2002 Richard Jones Road
Suite A-200
Nashville, TN 37215
Phone: 615 269 5903
Besides Straight Teeth, What are [Benefits] of Braces?

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.
It’s fantastic to learn that you can maintain your oral hygiene easier after braces. My daughter is getting older and she wants to make sure her oral health is good so that she can eat the food she loves. I’ll be sure to tell her that she should consider getting braces.