Did you know that over 4 million people in the US wear braces, with 25% of them being adults?
People not lucky enough to have straight teeth wear braces or other treatment options to straighten them. Braces work by applying constant pressure to the teeth and slowly moving them to a straight position.
There’s a lot more to straight teeth than just aesthetics; perfectly straight teeth are also great for your dental and overall health. So what are these health benefits of straight teeth? Well, keep reading to find out.
In today’s post, we’ll be highlighting some of the many health benefits of having straight teeth.
Table of Contents
1. Straight Teeth Equal Fewer Cavities
Cavities are the greatest threat to healthy and beautiful teeth. About 90% of adults over the age of 20 have at least one cavity. But did you know having healthy teeth can help reduce cavities in your teeth?
Crooked teeth are harder to clean because food gets stuck inside the spaces between teeth. While straight teeth also have spaces between them, they are easier to reach with a toothbrush. Brushing the spaces between crooked teeth is a lot harder, hence the prevalence of cavities.
Remember, cavities occur when food gets stuck between the teeth. The bacteria inside your mouth consume this food and produce acid as a by-product. The acid corrodes the teeth, leaving ugly holes known as cavities.
2. Promotes Healthier Gums
When your teeth are too close together or far apart, a lot of bacteria get in between them. This bacteria affects not only your teeth but also your gum line. Because it’s harder to clean crooked teeth, bacteria remain on your gum line and wreaks all kinds of havoc.
The more bacteria you have, the greater the likelihood of having a bacterial infection or periodontal disease. The early stage of this infection is known as gingivitis, and you can reverse it. However, if you don’t see a dentist soon enough, the infection might spiral into full-blown periodontitis.
That said, having straight teeth reduces the chances of a gum infection. That’s because the gums fit around the teeth properly, making them easier to clean. It’s also worth noting that gum infections spread to other regions of the mouth and compromise your oral health.
3. Straight Teeth Improve Digestion
With straight teeth, you can chew your food better into very small chunks that are easy to swallow and digest. Chewing food into tiny pieces increases the surface area for enzymes and stomach bacteria to digest the food. Proper digestion reduces the chances of indigestion, bloating and makes use of all the nutrients from your food.
4. Reduces Wear and Tear on Teeth
Every time you bite on something, the mouth evenly distributes pressure on the teeth. This even distribution of pressure prevents the straining of particular teeth and eliminates pain. However, crooked teeth mean more pressure on particular teeth than on others.
This translates to more wear and tear on some teeth than others. That can cause serious pain and inhibit proper chewing. The more wear and tear on teeth, the easier it is for them to chip off or wear out completely.
5. Improves Your Sleep Quality
A healthy adult needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep to function effectively. However, this is hard to attain when you have crooked teeth. Crooked teeth lead to various sleeping disorders, including sleep apnea.
What’s more, people with crooked teeth have more severe cases of bruxism. Bruxism is a condition where affected people grind their teeth involuntarily, especially while sleeping. Bruxism exacerbates the wear and tear of teeth and also leads to tension headaches.
People with straight teeth tend to sleep better than those with crooked ones. They are less likely to suffer from severe bruxism or teeth-related sleeping disorders.
6. Improves Speech
That’s right, having straight teeth helps you speak more clearly and become more articulate. Teeth play an active role in shaping our words as they come out of our mouths. They come into contact with the tongue and other parts of the mouth to form sounds when we speak.
For instance, people with large overbites or gaps between their front teeth have trouble pronouncing “s” sounds. Instead, they’ll produce a “th” sound, which is far off the mark. This is just one of the many examples of how crooked teeth can impair your speech.
Straight teeth mean the tongue reaches all the crucial touchpoints for perfect pronunciation. This is great for enhancing your social skills and building up your confidence. If you’re looking to improve your speech, arrange for teeth straightening ASAP.
How to Straighten Teeth
The most popular teeth-straightening solution is braces, which work perfectly. However, there are plenty of other solutions you can consider if you want straight teeth. Here are a couple of ways to straighten crooked teeth.
Braces
Braces do a great job of straightening teeth but are visually intrusive. This makes them unappealing to adults, but most kids and teens don’t mind braces. There are many benefits of braces apart from straightening teeth, like:
- Preventing gum disease
- Preventing bone erosion
- Preventing tooth decay
If you’re not concerned about the aesthetics of braces, then they’re a perfect remedy for your crooked teeth.
Invisalign
Invisalign is a transparent teeth aligner that straightens teeth over time. Unlike braces, they’re clear and barely visible. They’re an excellent choice for adults because They’re more subtle than braces, but still get the job done.
There are many benefits of Invisalign in lieu of braces. Talk to Rangewoodorthodontics.com and arrange your Invisalign treatment today.
Teeth-straightening Surgery
Consider a teeth-straightening surgery if you’re going all out on your teeth-straightening treatment. This is a type of surgery that positions the bones that hold your teeth straight. Other forms of treatment may be necessary to completely straighten the teeth.
The Benefits of Straight Teeth Made Simple
With so many benefits of straight teeth, it wouldn’t hurt to spend a few bucks to straighten your teeth. Just make sure you find a reputable dentist for the best results. You don’t have to live with crooked teeth.
For more informative content, check out the other posts on the site.