Teeth straightening is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your cosmetic smile. Straighter teeth can connote good health and personal hygiene to those closest to you and leave a lasting impression on those only just meeting you.

In fact, teeth straightening can actually do far more than just improve your cosmetic smile. They’re capable of so much more, giving you plenty of fantastic reasons to smile. Adult braces actually have an abundance of health benefits that you may not have realised, and they can prolong the life and health of your teeth. Your teeth could look, feel, and function at their best.

 

Gum disease is extremely common in the UK – most adults have some form of it, whether the beginnings of or more severe. It’s incredibly easy to develop and even easier still for it to worsen, but did you know that braces can prevent this from happening?

 

Adult braces create uniformity in the teeth, closing the gaps between them. By closing these gaps, we lessen the surface area of exposed gum. With no gaps, food and bacteria can’t build-up and attack these sensitive areas as easily, so you could actually be saving your teeth a lot of pain and grief by having them straightened.

 

Tooth decay is another commonality in the UK. It’s one of the leading causes of tooth loss, but it is so easily preventable with proper cleaning. Teeth straightening can benefit you in this area, too.

 

By straightening your teeth, you minimise any overlapping and hidden surfaces so there are no hard-to-reach spaces. You can clean more of the tooth when you brush and floss, and there are less hidden crevices for food and bacteria to get caught up in. Less problematic spaces mean better cleaning, and also means a decreased chance of tooth decay.

 

Getting into these small spaces between the teeth is incredibly important when maintaining your dental health. We’d always recommend booking hygienist appointments to have them professionally cleaned.

 

Bad breath is a side effect of tooth decay and can really affect your oral health. The bacteria that build up in your mouth feast on the food trapped between your teeth, and when they do so they release unpleasant toxins. These toxins not only act on the surface of the tooth, but they can also smell unpleasant. Straightening your teeth can lessen these nooks that trap food, and therefore lessen the staying power of the harmful bacteria that cause bad breath.

 

A bad bite, you may be surprised to learn, can drastically affect your dental and jaw health, but braces can help fix this. A misaligned bite can cause unnecessary wear on the affected teeth, negatively impacting our jaw’s stability and strength. This can cause discomfort, but also health issues to do with your lower jaw bone. By straightening your teeth using adult braces, you help avoid these problems and can introduce proper mouth and jaw function. You could even realign the upper and lower jaw through proper movement.

 

Your confidence, while not technically health related, can really suffer if you are self-conscious about your teeth. Misaligned teeth can affect the way you speak, the proportion of your face, and the confidence in your smile. If we are limiting the way or amount or we smile or where and when we speak because crooked teeth are stopping us, it can really affect how we feel in social situations.

 

Adult braces are increasing in popularity because more and more people are realising that not correcting their teeth in their teenage years doesn’t mean they never can. The health benefits are brilliant, but even if you’re considering braces purely for aesthetic reasons then that’s just as valid!

 

Visit our York dental practice to discuss your teeth straightening options today. We could help you transform your teeth and maintain your dental health.