How Teeth Straightening Can Benefit Your Mouth and Overall Health

Posted on: 20 July 2015

Straightening the teeth is often done for the sake of appearance, and even adults today are looking into processes that can give them straight, even teeth. Your mouth and your smile can look better when you straighten your teeth and especially if you have very noticeably crooked teeth, but in some cases this can even benefit your oral health, and your health overall. How so?

1. Very crooked teeth can mean the risk of tooth loss

Teeth rest snugly against each other for support and when teeth are very crooked, they may not have this support. In turn, they may become loose and you may eventually experience tooth loss. When you have your teeth straightened, they fit snugly together and in turn, the teeth are less likely to become loose.

2. Crooked teeth can mean poor eating habits

When teeth are crooked, you may not be able to chew food as you should. Teeth need to press against each other to chew foods; you don't simply mash food against a lower or upper jaw to chew. You may have noticed that you struggle with this, trying to chew up meat or raw vegetables. In turn, you may rely on soft foods as the main staple of your diet and may not get the nutrition you need. Your health may then suffer.

3. Improper jaw alignment can mean snoring

When a full row of teeth is out of alignment, the upper and lower jaws may not rest on each other for support as they should. At night, your mouth may fall open because of this and you may be prone to snoring. Excessive snoring can dry out and damage the mouth and throat. This snoring can also interfere with your sleeping habits, and without proper sleep, you can be prone to headaches, drowsiness, and a host of other health problems.

4. Crooked teeth can wear away other teeth or the gums

If teeth are too close together or the upper and lower jaws are out of alignment, they can wear away the enamel of other teeth. This enamel protects teeth from chipping and cracking. An overbite can also put too much pressure on the roof of the mouth; the lower teeth may sit back too far and rub against the mouth's roof or the gums of the upper jaw. In turn, this can cause damage to the gums and soft tissue of the mouth.

Because of all these reasons, it may be good to address very crooked teeth. This will protect your mouth and even your overall health. Contact a company like Macquarie Dental to learn more.

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Looking younger and fresher

No one ever comes in asking to look older. When they want make an actor look old in a movie they do a few subtle things to age their face, like lighten their eyebrows and yellow up their teeth. That's because the signs of aging don't just affect your skin, they also show in your mouth. A natural bright smile leaves you looking and feeling younger. Cosmetic dentistry is a great way to naturally look younger without painful plastic surgery. If you are looking at getting some cosmetic dentistry this site has great articles about teeth whitening, veneers and other cosmetic procedures.