Special Hours and Information – Read More HERE
James Karpac Orthodontics
Dublin Office
Tue (Dublin) 8:00am – 5:00pm
Thu (Dublin) 7:30am – 4:00pm
Fri / Sat / Sun closed
James Karpac Orthodontics

How A Straighter Smile Can Help Improve Your Health And Life!

Orthodontic treatment goes so much further than just improving aesthetics, and it actually has a ripple effect throughout many parts of patients’ lives!

orthodontic treatments help people with many different health benefits

 

Orthodontic treatments are never done simply to help a patient with aesthetic benefits. It’s true that improving your smile feels and looks absolutely fantastic, but your treatment will also always be oriented around improving your overall oral health.

Just about half of all teenagers and children need to obtain orthodontic treatment to help them with things like their speech and eating functionality, and our before & after gallery will provide a quick glimpse into why orthodontic treatment is so necessary from a health standpoint for countless patients.

Although a straighter smile can undoubtedly improve a whole array of areas within a patient’s life, here are some of the most common health improvements to consider!

 

Healthier Gums And Teeth

 

A lot of people simply consider a straighter smile to only be a cosmetic upgrade, but the truth is that orthodontic treatment goes a very long way in maintaining the overall integrity and strength of a patient’s gums and teeth. This is partly because misaligned teeth and jaw lines can make cleaning much more difficult, which can subsequently lead to higher chances of cavities and other serious dental issues like tooth decay.

Misaligned teeth also pose serious health risks to an individual’s gums, and gum disease just so happens to be a very common type of infection that countless people suffer from. In the past people thought that gum disease only affected adults, but recent studies have proven that gum disease is also very prevalent amongst children and teenagers.

Gum scraping is also a very common issue for people who have oral health issues like overbites, and this is a very serious issue that over time can lead to loose teeth and even teeth falling out!

It’s absolutely critical for everyone to be able to thoroughly remove food particles and plaque from their mouths on a daily basis, which is one important reason why straighter smiles help people maintain their overall oral health.

 

Reducing Your Chances Of Experiencing Physical Damages

 

It’s very common for misaligned teeth to become cracked, chipped and/or broken through all types of physical activities and accidents. These types of physical damage risks are especially prevalent amongst those experiencing overbites, and this is mainly because of the protruding angles of their teeth.

These types of teeth angles and malocclusions can also put a lot of stress on an individual’s gums, which eventually will lead to teeth becoming weaker and falling out.

 

Helps Prevent Jaw Pain And Headaches

 

TMJ disorders just so happen to be a very serious ailment that affects people with misaligned teeth and jaw lines, and these conditions specifically affect an individual’s temporomandibular joints (where your jaw connects to your skull). As you can imagine, this is one of the most essential joints in the entire body due to it being needed for drinking, eating, speaking and simply opening your mouth!

Misaligned teeth end up placing a tremendous amount of extra pressure on TMJ joints, and as time goes along this pressure can cause your jaw muscles to get overstretched. This can lead to an intense amount of consistent pain, and if left untreated TMJ disorders can even affect the jawbone itself.

When your TMJ joints are under an added amount of pressure, this will have a ripple effect throughout your entire skull. This is why people with misaligned teeth are much more likely to experience severe headaches and migraines!

Orthodontic treatment like braces or Line-M-Up™ can always go a long way in helping an individual alleviate persistent headaches and jaw pain once and for all!

 

Improved Speech And Digestion

 

Children and teenagers in particular are prone to many different problems through teeth misalignment, and things like speech and digestion difficulties are more prevalent amongst children because they’re experiencing their most formative years. Many young children are still learning how to properly chew, eat and speak; so teeth misalignment can actually play a significant factor in how a child develops their habits of routine behavior.

Difficulties speaking and eating just so happen to be two of the most common issues that children experience due to misaligned teeth, and this is particularly the case with children who are experiencing underbites and overbites. When a child struggles to properly chew their food before swallowing, it subsequently can lead to many nutrition and digestion problems.

When it comes to speech, misaligned teeth can make it more difficult for children to perfect the necessary tongue movements for correct dictation and pronunciation. This is one of the reasons why misaligned teeth make children more prone to speech issues like lisps.

Orthodontic treatment is always necessary for children with eating and speaking difficulties, because straighter teeth and properly aligned jaws make these issues exponentially easier!

 

Reducing Tooth Wearing

 

Like we mentioned above, misaligned or crooked teeth can be the cause of many different individual issues. A very common issue that orthodontists like Dr. Karpac notice is abnormal teeth wearing on individual teeth.

Tooth wearing happens exponentially faster within a misaligned smile and can lead to issues like cracks, flat chewing surfaces and chips. It’s pretty common for one or two particularly misaligned teeth to experience the most wearing, which makes them much more prone to serious damages.

A common example of this is when a crooked tooth blocks an adjacent tooth, which then leads to the crooked tooth experiencing too much activity and increasing the overall likelihood of harm.

When you properly straighten your teeth through orthodontic treatment you can make sure that your teeth are experiencing equal pressure amounts, which always helps in terms of preventing abnormal tooth wearing.

 

Improving Self-Esteem And Confidence

 

The last health improvement we’re going to discuss in this article is more psychological than physical, and it’s true that a straighter smile makes people feel more confident while socializing. Many years of research have proven that people with straight teeth find it much easier to make new friends, laugh/smile around other people, and publicly speak.

Self-esteem and confidence are very important health benefits that everyone should take seriously, and straight teeth just so happen to be an easy avenue to improving these crucial psychological metrics. Social confidence is important for every child and teenager as they’re developing their social skills and learning how to be more outgoing, and the same goes for adults through adult orthodontic treatment!

 

Reach Out To JK Orthodontics To Learn More About The Health Improvements Associated With Orthodontic Treatments!

 

Straightening out you or your loved one’s teeth can always go a long way in reducing the chances of serious health issues like gum disease, joint pain, headaches and tooth decay; and a straighter smile also goes a long way in terms of improving all sorts of natural behaviors.

So always feel free to reach out to us online or call us at 614-766-0330 (Dublin office) or 614-471-6355 (Gahanna office) to get in touch with our team and book your initial consultation!