Medical Benefits of Braces

We all want a beautiful smile, one that dazzles and lights up a room. With traditional orthodontic braces, you can have that luminous smile. Along with aligning crooked teeth, braces can help improve your oral health, leading to a better functioning smile.

Kellyn Hodges Orthodontics has helped countless patients over the years in the greater Philadelphia, Bala Cynwyd, and Bensalem, PA,area. Below, we the many medical benefits of braces, and why you should consider orthodontic care.

Cleaner Teeth and Gums

Crooked and crowded teeth can make it easier for plaque to form and irritate the gums. When teeth are poorly spaced, a toothbrush has trouble reaching the crowded or crooked areas of the mouth. Flossing is particularly difficult with misaligned teeth. Sometimes it is practically impossible to get between at the plaque and tartar accumulating in certain parts of your smile.

Braces straighten your smile, improving the overall spacing between teeth. This allows you to clean every nook and cranny of your smile. You’ll be able to remove plague and food particles, which is crucial for preventing bad breath, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.

Reduced Teeth Grinding

Poor tooth alignment is a major contributing factor to teeth grinding, also known as bruxism. This condition refers to the gnashing, clenching, and shifting of the teeth while a person is asleep. Over time, teeth grinding can lead to serious wear and tear on your tooth enamel. Less enamel makes toothaches, root canal infections, and tooth fractures more likely.

Braces can improve the overall alignment of the teeth. This allows your teeth to find a proper resting position while asleep, which means less grinding and far less long-term stress on your teeth.

Reduced Jaw Pain

Malocclusion doesn’t just contribute to teeth grinding. The stress on the teeth will also affect the jaw joint. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is extremely complicated, and stress on the joint can lead to dysfunction. The clicking, popping, and locking that you feel in your jaw is a common sign of a TMJ disorder, or TMD.

Improving dental alignment helps pressure on the jaw. That’s why braces and other orthodontic procedures are commonly used as part of treating TMJ disorders.

Improved Digestion

Crooked teeth can make it difficult to chew your food properly, especially crunchy and fibrous fruits and vegetables that are essential for a well-balanced diet. Proper chewing is essential for easier swallowing and proper digestion.

With an even bite from orthodontic treatment, your teeth can apply the full pressure of each bite without pain or discomfort. Food can then be properly broken down into smaller portions, which your stomach will thank you for.

Improved Speech

Sometimes, misaligned teeth can lead to speech issues, particularly with the pronunciation of consonants. This can lead to self-consciousness and contribute to a number of mental health issues.

Fortunately, braces can help with this. With your teeth in proper alignment, your tongue can better form the shapes for words and sounds. Your new smile and improved speech could provide a boost in confidence for public speaking engagements as well as everyday social situations.

Schedule an Appointment Today

If you would like to learn more about braces and how they can help you, we are here to help. Start the journey to your dream smile by giving us a call at (610) 617-0700 or schedule an appointment online.