Improving teeth alignment with orthodontics provides patients with many benefits, like improving their ability to properly clean their teeth, which protects them against common oral issues like tooth decay and gum disease. Orthodontics can also straighten the patient’s smile, improving its aesthetics.
Common teeth alignment issues include: Overbites, crossbites, underbites, and overjets.
Oral appliances, like braces and clear aligners, are often used to improve the alignment of teeth. Treatment times can be anywhere from 12 to 36 months, depending on the specific issues affecting the patient’s teeth and jaw.
Here are a few benefits that patients can gain from treatment.
Food particles and other debris are more likely to get stuck on poorly aligned teeth that overlap each other. Such teeth are also harder to clean because the bristles of a toothbrush or dental floss may not be able to get into these spaces.
As a result, plaque and tartar build up in these hard-to-reach areas created by misaligned teeth, leading to tooth decay and gum disease. Tooth decay damages teeth structures, while gum disease weakens bone structures in the mouth, leading to teeth becoming loose and falling out if left unaddressed. The bacteria that cause gum disease can also get into the lungs or bloodstream, leading to a host of other issues, like premature births, respiratory issues, and heart disease.
People with misaligned teeth are more likely to develop problems with their temporomandibular joints (TMJs). These are the sliding, hinge-like joints that connect the upper and lower parts of the skull. TMJ issues often lead to symptoms like headaches, pain, and discomfort. Fixing poorly aligned teeth can help alleviate TMJ issues because it reduces the pressure and tension being placed on the TMJs.
Feeling good about the way their teeth look gives people a confidence boost. It can be impossible to have an aesthetically pleasing smile with crooked teeth, however, regardless of how white or healthy the teeth are.
People with misaligned teeth often find themselves hiding their smiles during interactions to avoid being judged because of the condition of their teeth. Orthodontic treatment allows such people to go back to proudly displaying their smiles.
Poorly aligned teeth can lead to teeth structures being damaged by the stress created. This is partly due to the person’s upper and lower sets of teeth not coming together properly when the mouth is closed. As a result, some teeth are exposed to stress when the mouth is closed, which can lead to damaged enamel over time. Teeth can also be damaged as they try to erupt if there is not enough space on the jaw due to misalignment.
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