3 Ways Orthodontics Improve Your Health

Orthodontics can improve your appearance, but it can also improve the alignment of your teeth and jaw, which in turn, can improve your oral and systemic health. Orthodontic problems affect the health of a patient in different ways. Eliminating the root cause (usually a bad bite) can eliminate other problems that stem from the orthodontic issue. This article details how orthodontics can improve your quality of life.

Orthodontics and the oral health problems that the treatment can correct

Most people associate orthodontics with braces. Braces are just one of many aspects of orthodontic treatments. Most treatment plans include the use of gentle, gradual pressure to optimize the arrangement of teeth. But there are other things that must happen before a dentist can fit an orthodontic appliance onto a patient’s teeth, especially if the patient suffers from problems with injured roots or deformity of the jaw. In addition to teeth straightening, orthodontic treatment can treat the following conditions:

• Breathing difficulties that result from jaw malformation
• TMJ issues that cause or result in a bad bite
• Injury complications that result in a bad bite or other orthodontic issues
• Developmental issues that affect the mouth

It is easy to see how orthodontic treatment can improve patients’ lives. Here are a few of the health benefits that patients can get from orthodontic treatment.

1. Straightening teeth makes them easier to clean

Crooked and crowded teeth can form nooks that are hard to reach with a toothbrush. This forces the person to make an extra effort when they clean their mouths. If they fail to take extra precautions, the nooks accumulate food particles and plaque. This can lead to cavities, tooth decay, and other dental health issues that stem from bacterial infections in the mouth.

Orthodontic treatment straightens the teeth, making every surface of every tooth easy to reach with a toothbrush and dental floss. The person gets to save time and enjoy a healthy set of teeth.

2. Straight teeth are less likely to develop dental problems compared to crooked or crowded teeth

Properly aligned teeth are easier to clean than misaligned ones. It is easy to prevent the accumulation of plaque on straight teeth and head off problems like cavities, decay, and gum disease. It can also eliminate the occurrence of embarrassing situations, like the bad breath that results from dental problems. More importantly, it is easier for a dentist to do a visual exam on a set of straight teeth.

3. Correcting a jaw malformation allows for easier breathing, eating, and speech

Patients with severe jaw malformations may struggle with speech, diet, and breathing. Some of these malformations are congenital, meaning that they happen during fetal development. Others develop later in childhood or as a result of an injury.

Correcting defects of the jaw can tackle all of these problems, in addition to improving the appearance of the face. The result is an overall upgrade in the patient’s quality of life.

4. Correcting a bad bite can eliminate TMJ disorders

A bad bite can cause jaw clenching and teeth grinding. Orthodontic treatment that tackles the malocclusion can remove the root cause of teeth grinding. As a result, over time, the TMJ disorder and its symptoms will go away.