3 Ways Orthodontics Improves Your Smile

Orthodontics typically involves wearing oral appliances like braces or clear aligners in order to straighten teeth. These devices work by constantly pushing on the wearer’s teeth, moving them to more desirable positions over time.

Teeth misalignment can lead to a less aesthetically pleasing smile and a variety of oral issues, like gum disease. Getting appropriate treatment for poorly aligned teeth can help avoid many of these problems.

How orthodontics improves your smile

Straight, properly aligned teeth are one of the main components of an aesthetically pleasing smile. Having a white set of teeth is not enough to hide problems like crooked teeth. Here are a few ways that getting the teeth straightened by a dentist can help improve a person's smile.

1. Straighter smile

Issues like crooked teeth, overbites, or underbites can affect a person’s smile and facial appearance. These aesthetic issues often lead to increased self-consciousness. The condition of a person’s teeth is one of the most noticeable things about their appearance. Getting teeth alignment issues fixed with orthodontics can help restore the patient’s confidence and appearance.

2. Healthier teeth

Orthodontic treatment benefits to the patient’s oral and overall health far exceed any aesthetic benefits. Misaligned teeth are challenging to clean because teeth may overlap each other. Food particles are more likely to get stuck in these areas, which become hot spots for oral bacteria to create acids that damage teeth. These bacteria also create plaque, which can lead to gum disease. Gum disease can lead to teeth falling out, and it has also been linked to a variety of chronic health conditions, like diabetes and heart disease.

Simply straightening teeth can help protect against all these issues. Also, people with straightened teeth tend to take better care of their teeth because they want to maintain their new smile, which protects their oral and overall health.

3. Improved quality of life

Misaligned teeth can make eating, speaking, or chewing more complicated. This can affect a person’s ability to get the nutrients that they need to keep their teeth strong and healthy. Orthodontic treatment can restore a patient’s ability to do these things, improving their quality of life. Patients can feel good about themselves and their improved teeth, and that confidence radiates from them whenever they smile.