If your teeth are crowded together or crooked, you may wish you had orthodontic braces as a kid. Fortunately, there are advances in the options for straightening teeth, like Invisalign clear aligner trays to Fastbraces that take less than six months to complete treatment. Still, you may not feel it’s worth it just to have a nicer smile, so let’s go over the many reasons straight teeth really do matter.
Surveys of adults repeatedly report that most people think that a lovely smile that is proportional to one’s face makes them not only attractive to others, but indicates friendliness, self-confidence, and proper concern for oral health. Hesitating to flash a full smile or laugh heartily makes someone seem to lack those traits. From a first date or being introduced to strangers to a job interview or meeting your boyfriend’s family, a gleaming smile makes a good first impression.
Straightening Has Benefits Beyond Appearance
But straightening teeth is about much more than appearance. As you probably already know, it’s really difficult to clean teeth that are too close together. No matter how conscientious you are about brushing and flossing, the odds are good that plaque, the sticky bacterial film that feeds on food particles that are not cleaned off, will form and quickly turn into hardened tartar.
That is why most people need to have it scraped off by a dental hygienist at least twice a year. If personal and professional cleaning are not adequate, the infected gums will pull away from the teeth and become loose, then have to be extracted and replaced by implants, a dental bridge, or dentures.
Straight Teeth Reduces Other Oral Health Risks
Research has shown that periodontal bacteria from gum infections also significantly raise the risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and even Alzheimer’s disease.
Crooked teeth mean the bite is likely misaligned, which can result in cracks and chipping as they hit each other. In the positions where they should be, they are protected by the lips and structure of the mouth, such as in a sports accident.
The jaw can also get dislocated, as indicated by difficulty in opening and closing the mouth (accompanied by a popping sound). Known as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD), it can lead to a wide variety of symptoms from migraines and soreness in the face to ringing in the ears and wearing down teeth.
Call Pacific Dental Care today to set an appointment for a full dental exam and have Dr. Marine tell you what steps you should take to have your unique perfect smile.