It’s hard to overestimate the impact a beautifully straight smile can have on your life. Studies have shown that your smile is the first thing people notice about you, and the thing they’re most likely to remember. Having an attractive, healthy smile can make you seem more approachable and trustworthy, and can even make you appear more successful!
Here at Bluebird Orthodontics, we take pride in our ability to create the kind of smiles our patients are proud to share with the world, and treatment with braces is one of the easiest ways to accomplish this. We understand that aesthetics are important, and we know that teeth and jaws that are aligned can benefit your life in many ways. However, there are numerous other benefits to braces that aren’t cosmetic in nature. To understand what orthodontic treatment has to offer you beyond a beautiful smile, let’s look at what braces actually are and how they work!
The basics of braces
Traditional braces consist of brackets that are attached to your teeth, then tied together by wires and tiny rubber bands. These brackets are usually made of high-quality metal or ceramic and all these components work together by exerting gentle pressure in a specific direction. Over time, this pressure will move the teeth into the desired position. It can also help to reshape the jawline, as the bone will dissolve and be replaced with new bone growth that supports the teeth in their new places. Braces are incredibly effective, and can be beneficial for a number of dental issues, including:
- difficulties with chewing or biting
- misaligned teeth or jaws
- excessive wear and tear of teeth
- teeth that have excessive spacing
- overlapping or crowded teeth
When you schedule an orthodontic consultation with Dr. Frank, you’ll be able to discuss the orthodontic concerns you have, and she will examine the condition of your teeth and jaws. This will allow her to assess your smile and determine if braces are right for you.
The many benefits of braces
Misaligned teeth and jaws can affect your appearance, but they also have the potential to affect your overall health. They can cause difficulties with eating and speaking, and make an effective oral hygiene routine more difficult to achieve. Many people are unaware of the lesser-known benefits of braces, which include things like:
Improved chewing
When your teeth and jaws are out of alignment, it can make it difficult to bite and chew your food properly. This might not seem like a big deal, but when this happens over a prolonged period of time it can wear your teeth out. Misalignment may even lead to the muscles of the jaws weakening, which can cause painful chewing, further exacerbating the problem.
Improved digestion
You may not think of teeth and digestion going together, but not being able to chew properly can actually have a detrimental effect on your digestive system. Teeth play an instrumental role in the digestive process, which begins as the teeth grind food. When they are misaligned, teeth can have trouble breaking food down properly, causing food to take longer passing through the digestive system. Chewing may also be painful due to tooth or jaw pain.
Improved speech
It’s easy to underestimate the way teeth can affect other parts of the body and how it functions. If you have teeth that are out of alignment, it can affect the placement of the tip of the tongue. Tongue placement affects the proper formation of sounds, such as the ‘t’,’n’ and ‘d’ sounds, and braces can often correct this type of speech issue. If you have speech issues related to your teeth, an experienced orthodontist like Dr. Frank can help you identify how severe the problem is, and devise an effective solution that’s suited to your specific needs.
Improved oral health
Most of us know that brushing and flossing thoroughly should be a regular part of a daily hygiene routine, but it can be hard to do so successfully when your teeth are crooked, crowded, or overlapping. These problems create conditions that are favorable for plaque to build up and bacteria to thrive, causing issues such as:
- tooth decay
- gum disease
- cavities
- gingivitis
The good news is that these kinds of dental ailments and diseases are very common and very preventable. Orthodontic treatment like braces can move teeth into more optimal positions, making dental hygiene easier and reducing the risk of unhealthy teeth and gums.
Improved jaw alignment, decreased jaw pain
Crooked teeth can have a noticeable effect on jaw muscles and joints. To compensate for bad positioning, the joints adapt, but in a position that can cause damage, which is why jaw issues and misaligned teeth will often go hand in hand. Some of the symptoms of improper jaw alignment are:
- headaches
- jaw that pop or “creak”
- pain in the jaw, neck, or shoulders
- sleep disorders
If you have symptoms due to improper jaw alignment, customized bracestreatment with Bluebird Orthodontics can properly align your teeth and jaws, eliminating these kinds of issues and giving you a smile that looks and feels great.
Helps to prevent bone erosion
When tartar and plaque are permitted to build up between the teeth and along the gum line, it can eventually destroy the bone underneath the teeth. This can cause some swelling of the gums, some slight bleeding, and may even cause teeth to loosen. If a tooth falls out, the gums can erode. Likewise, if you have noticeable gaps or spacing between the teeth, it can result in a similar level of bone erosion because the misalignment puts too much pressure on the jawbone. Orthodontic treatment can relieve this pressure and any associated symptoms.
Explore the benefits of braces treatment with Bluebird Orthodontics
Orthodontics is about more than straightening teeth for us! We are proud to create smiles that are beautifully aligned and fully functional. Our team works hard to provide every patient with exceptional service, from our techniques and technology to our customized treatment plans. We want you to feel confident, comfortable, and relaxed in our care from your initial consultation through the completion of your treatment. Bluebird Orthodontics is a small practice with a huge heart, and our team loves serving the communities of Commack, Dix Hills, Brentwood, and the surrounding areas. To learn more about what we offer and how we can benefit your smile and your overall oral health, get in touch with our Commack office today. We look forward to working with you towards your very best smile!
