Crooked teeth can make you feel self-conscious about your smile. They also trap food particles, increase your risk of cavities and can cause jaw pain.
Teeth straightening is a solution that can fix these issues. It can help you maintain good oral hygiene and improve your smile’s aesthetics.
Aesthetics
Straight teeth are an important aesthetic factor to many people. They help a person’s smile look straight, aligned, and uniform.
While crooked or crowded teeth can be aesthetically unpleasant, they can also have a major impact on your oral health. Not only does a crooked smile make it difficult to brush and floss, but food can become stuck in hard-to-reach places that could cause cavities, tooth decay, gum disease, or other dental issues.
In addition, crooked teeth can lead to jaw pain and TMJ (Temporomandibular Disorder). A straight smile is less likely to cause these problems because it shares the workload evenly between all of the teeth.
Orthodontics is a specialty that improves teeth alignment to encourage proper chewing and speaking, and can also affect facial aesthetics. Some patients seek orthodontics for cosmetic improvement, but the benefits of straighter teeth go beyond just vanity: improving self-esteem and mental health are significant, too.
Health
Teeth straightening has many health benefits, including a lower risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Gum disease is a serious health condition that can lead to other health complications such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Crooked teeth can make it difficult to clean between them, which can lead to bacteria buildup and tooth decay. Brushing and flossing can be effective, but they may not reach the spaces between crooked teeth.
Another way that crooked teeth can affect your oral health is by contributing to jaw misalignment. When your teeth are misaligned, they put excessive pressure on your joints, jaw bone and gums. This can cause chronic headaches, neck pain, earaches and other problems.
Straight teeth help to prevent this by aligning your bite so that it doesn’t exert stress on your temporomandibular joints. This will reduce your chances of developing jaw misalignment and a range of jaw and face issues, such as chronic facial and jaw pain, migraines, earaches and tension in your muscles.
Comfort
Whether you have an overbite, underbite or other dental alignment issue, teeth straightening can make chewing easier and more comfortable. When your bite is misaligned, you can use up to 70 lbs of force when chewing food, which is uncomfortable and often leads to jaw pain.
Teeth straightening is a great way to resolve these problems, and it can also help improve the health of your teeth. According to the American Association of Orthodontists, crooked or overcrowded teeth tend to trap bacteria and other debris between them, which can lead to oral health issues like tooth decay.
Straight teeth can also reduce the chance of developing sleep apnea, a disorder that results in disturbed breathing patterns while you’re asleep. The physical blockage of the airway can cause a number of different symptoms, including fatigue and lightheadedness.
Time
Whether you are a young teenager or an older adult, correcting crooked teeth can be beneficial for many reasons. Getting straighter teeth can help you achieve that ideal smile and improve your self-confidence.
Orthodontics is not only a cosmetic benefit, it can also prevent more serious dental issues such as decay and gum disease. In addition, it can relieve jaw pain and improve your bite.
In addition to improving your oral health, straightening your teeth can also improve your overall well-being by reducing stress and anxiety levels. This can be especially important if you suffer from sleep apnea or other breathing disorders.
Everyone has different orthodontic needs, and your orthodontist will be able to give you an accurate treatment time estimate based on your specific requirements. But, in general, most people need to wear braces for between one and three years.