Teen mental health is a huge issue throughout the United States, and orthodontic treatment is often a huge morale boost for teenagers!
It’s no secret how children and teenagers have had a particularly rough time with anxiety, stress and depression throughout recent years. Lingering stress is still a major dilemma for American teens across the country, and orthodontic treatment just so happens to be an effective strategy to boost a teenager’s self-esteem and overall mental health.
Although many teens feel self-conscious while wearing braces, they always feel great about their smiles once they’ve completed their treatment. Feeling great about your smile helps encourage the many mental health benefits associated with things like laughing and smiling, and the JK Orthodontics team is here to help boost your child’s confidence through our state-of-the-art treatment options.
Below we’ll be delving deeper into how orthodontic treatment improves teen mental health!
Orthodontic Treatment Reduces Your Child’s Social Anxiety
A lot of teenagers suffer from various levels of social anxiety, and although orthodontic treatment might initially exacerbate social anxiousness, it quickly reduces it once the treatment process is finalized.
It’s also safe to say that wearing traditional braces often helps teenagers to naturally address their social anxiety. This is because wearing braces can essentially force teenagers out of their shell and self-consciousness, which can be therapeutic and a huge maturing step.
And when your teen feels great about their smile, their confidence will inevitably increase. This is especially the case in terms of their confidence around their peers. When people are confident in their smiles, they’re subsequently more likely to smile on a frequent basis—which is tied to a wide variety of mental health benefits!
The Mental Health Benefits of Laughing & Smiling
Smiling with a beautiful smile doesn’t just look great, but it’s also very healthy as well. Smiling releases neurochemicals like endorphins, dopamine and serotonin—all of which improve moods and make people feel better. Smiling also relaxes your body, reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and reduces your heart rate.
Laughing and smiling are also known to boost your immune system, as well as relieve pain. Laughter can also reduce stress responses and stimulate organ functionality. It also relaxes your muscles, stimulates circulation, and soothes bodily tension.
Laughing and smiling are also important for building social relationships. People who laugh and smile are considered to be more approachable, and this is partly because we all mirror the behavior around us and will be more likely to laugh and smile when we see other people doing so.
And all of these health benefits associated with laughing and smiling are much more appealing for teenagers when they feel great about their smiles after orthodontic treatment!
How Straight Smiles Improve Teen Mental Health
It’s normal for children to feel self-conscious about their crooked teeth, and this is why a majority of Americans cover their mouths when laughing due to teeth insecurity. When a teenager subconsciously covers their smile while laughing, it’s likely that they’re also subconsciously trying to laugh and smile as little as possible.
This can be detrimental to their mental health because they’ll miss out on the many beneficial hormones and neurochemicals that we mentioned in the above section. This is one of many reasons why it’s so important for parents to encourage their teenagers toward orthodontics.
Orthodontic treatment is incredible for teenagers who are insecure about their crooked teeth, and there are many options available for orthodontic patients like braces and Line-M-Up™ that make the treatment process easy, comfortable and less stressful.
Some of the other health benefits associated with straight smiles include:
- Fewer cavities
- Improved digestion
- Reduced gum disease
- Reduced jaw straining
- Improved sleep
- Lower risks of tooth-related accidents
How to Straighten Your Teen’s Smile
JK Orthodontics offers all of our patients a wide variety of treatment options, including:
Line-M-Up™
Many young adults and teenagers love our state-of-the-art invisible aligner technology called Line-M-Up™. Throughout recent years, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in teenage patients choosing Line-M-Up™, and this is directly related to how invisible aligners are less noticeable and more convenient as compared to traditional metal braces.
In today’s age when social media is a huge part of a teen’s life, Line-M-Up™ is a great way for teenagers to receive orthodontic treatment without jeopardizing their self-confidence. Line-M-Up™ also offers shorter treatment timelines than some other popular options, which means that your teen might be able to get their dream smile within a matter of months rather than years!
Braces
Although invisible aligners like Line-M-Up™ can effectively treat many orthodontic cases, there are some instances in which orthodontists like Dr. Karpac will need to use traditional braces to initiate more significant changes.
Braces give orthodontists the most amount of control in terms of a patient’s teeth movement. This is incredibly important when treating moderate to severe alignment issues with maximum care.
Contact JK Orthodontics To Schedule Your Next Appointment With Dr. Karpac Today!
It’s important for parents to help their teenage children feel great about their smiles for the rest of their lives by investing in orthodontic treatment. These investments can sometimes be easier said than done, but you won’t have any worries when you put your trust in industry experts like Dr. James Karpac and the JK Orthodontics team located in Dublin, Ohio.
Contact us online or give us a call at 614-766-0330 to schedule your teen’s next appointment with Dr. Karpac today!