Nowadays, wearing braces is becoming increasingly common, especially among children with dental issues such as poor teeth spacing, overbite, underbite, and crooked teeth. While many people do not like to wear braces, major advancements in the dental field have been made.
One of these examples is the appearance of braces. Patients who were insecure about them can now wear camouflaged braces or transparent aligners that are less noticeable.
Dental braces have many other benefits besides the ones outlined above. Here are seven benefits of dental braces.
Improved Speech
When you have crooked teeth, you are likely to experience problems with your speech. Although it has no implications on your health, this condition can hurt your self-confidence in social settings. Luckily, getting braces can help you fix this problem so that you can pronounce words correctly.
Preventing Gum Disease
Do you know that wearing braces for an extended period can help prevent gum disease? Also known as periodontitis, gum disease is a condition that affects the soft tissue below your teeth and causes bleeding and severe pain.
When you have crooked or misaligned teeth, food particles are more likely to stick between your teeth. These particles promote bacterial growth, which later attacks your gums. By wearing braces, your teeth become straighter and easier to clean when brushing or flossing. As a result, you become less susceptible to gum disease.
Improved Digestion
Your teeth play an essential role in digestion. Before you swallow, you must properly chew your food to aid in digestion. You can find it hard to break down food into tiny digestible bits if you have misaligned teeth. Consequently, it takes longer for the stomach to digest food.
With braces, you can chew food correctly, making it easier for your stomach. This also improves the absorption of nutrients in the small intestines and promotes overall wellbeing.
Better Mental Health
Having misaligned or crooked teeth can shatter your self-esteem and hurt your mental health. When in public, people whose teeth aren’t properly aligned can find themselves uncomfortable when they smile. Wearing braces can help straighten your teeth, allowing you to smile comfortably in social places. The result of this is better mental health.
Prevents Bone Erosion
When you lose teeth, you are at a higher risk of experiencing gum and bone erosion. This is also the case if you have crooked, gapping, or misaligned teeth. These conditions apply too much pressure on your jawbone, causing it to erode.
However, alignment braces provide the support needed to maintain the integrity of your gum and jawbone. Precisely, braces stretch connective tissues and nerves while relieving the pressure on the jawbone.
Tooth Whitening
The spaces created by crooked or misaligned teeth usually contain food debris, increasing the risk of tooth discolouration. With aligned teeth, brushing and flossing become more effective, guaranteeing a sparkling, white smile. Likewise, undergoing a tooth whitening procedure with improperly aligned teeth yields unsatisfactory results.
Prevents Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a condition characterised by abnormal breathing when sleeping. It makes you tired during the day and can be a symptom of heart disease and hypertension.
One of the causes of apnea is having misaligned teeth, which interferes with the amount of air that reaches your lungs. Wearing braces creates a larger airway, reducing the chances of developing sleep apnea.
Wrapping Up
The secret to maintaining good oral health is keeping your mouth clean and addressing any complications before they worsen. This includes orthodontic treatments such as getting braces.
After getting braces, you may experience some pain and discomfort, but these only last for a few days. Moreover, you can relieve the pain using over-the-counter painkillers. During this period, avoid chewing hard foods and consume meals like soup and yoghurt. Also, prioritise meals with high levels of calcium to strengthen your teeth and jawbone. It usually takes about a month for most people to get used to wearing braces.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
