According to an article from Healthline, from 2012 to 2020, there was a 14 percent increase of people over 18 who wore braces. This trend of adults wanting braces continues as many people are beginning to want better oral hygiene and aesthetics.
But, what are the benefits of straight teeth? Apart from looking great, there has to be more to getting straighter teeth than just aesthetics.
In this guide, we’ll run you through 9 incredible health benefits of straight teeth. By the end of reading this, you’ll want to contact the best orthodontist you can find to get your teeth straight and healthy!
Here are the benefits!
1. Digest Your Food Better
When your teeth are straighter, they’ll function better at biting, chewing, and grinding your food into smaller pieces, which can aid better digestion. The reason for this is that when food is in smaller fragments, there’s more surface area for your body’s enzymes to break the food down.
When you don’t chew your food well enough, you put a strain on your intestines and stomach. Your body has to work harder, and this can result in you suffering from indigestion and cramps.
2. Your Teeth Should Last Longer
If your teeth are misaligned, they may wear down much quicker than if they were straight. Crooked teeth take on extra pressure at awkward angles from chewing food.
When you get your teeth straightened, the stress on your teeth when you eat will be on the correct parts of each tooth. And when your teeth are straighter, they are less likely to chip or fracture due to unnecessary stress on their weaker points.
3. It Becomes Easier To Clean Your Teeth
There may have been areas in your mouth where your teeth are misaligned that you can’t brush so well? When you get perfectly straight teeth, you’ll find it so much easier to clean those areas.
You will have to cope with braces or Invisalign for a period, which will make it more difficult in the short term to clean your teeth. However, the long-term benefits of braces, along with the benefits of Invisalign, far out way the short-term negatives.
4. Your Jaw Issues May Disappear
If your teeth aren’t aligned properly, they can cause issues with your jaw. A common issue that people have is the hinges where your jaw meets your skull might feel some strain when you have teeth out of place.
When you decide that you want beautiful teeth rather than crooked ones, you might find that your jaw becomes more relaxed. Any headaches and dizziness you may be suffering from because of the pressure on your jaw can disappear when you straighten your teeth.
5. Your Speech Becomes Clearer
When you have teeth out of place, your ability to speak clearly can become compromised. All this time, you might have gotten used to speaking in a particular way that involves more effort than the usual person. When your teeth are straight, you’ll find it super-easy to speak with clarity and confidence!
It might be the case that you can start saying certain syllables that you struggled with before. Furthermore, your command over phonetics can improve when your teeth are more in line.
6. Accidents May Have Less Impact
If you have an accident where you fall over or walk into something and bash your face, you’re better off having straighter teeth. If your teeth protrude in some way, they have more chance of getting cracked, breaking, or even coming out.
In the case of an accident, you might end up biting your tongue or lips with teeth that are out of place. Another issue is if you bite on something hard with too much force, misaligned teeth can feel the impact more than straight ones.
7. You’ll Improve Your Confidence
When you feel more confident in your everyday life, you end up being more relaxed and less stressed about things. Having straighter teeth can contribute to improving your confidence and, thus, your health!
In addition, when you smile, you release neuropeptides which reduce stress. Plus, smiling releases endorphins and dopamine, and when you have straighter teeth, you’re sure to smile a lot more!
8. Protect Your General Health
When you have teeth that are misaligned, you can end up having bacterial growth in places that you can’t reach. Not only will this affect your oral health, but your general health as a whole.
Once your teeth are straight, you can ensure that your oral health doesn’t affect other parts of your body. After all, there is a saying which goes something like “the mouth is the gateway to your body,” so keep it healthy!
9. Say Goodbye To Bad Breath
The areas in your mouth that you couldn’t access before will have built up the bacteria we mentioned, and one side effect of that is bad breath. So, another benefit of getting straight teeth and being able to clean all your teeth properly is that you can say goodbye to bad breath.
Not having bad breath will also contribute to you having more confidence. So as you now know, many of the benefits we’ve mentioned are intertwined.
How To Straighten Teeth
Now you are aware of the benefits of teeth straightening, the next logical question to ask is how do you get your teeth straightened. The two main options often on the table are to get braces or you can choose an Invisalign option.
You might also be thinking about whether you are too old or not to get braces? The answer to this is that you can never be too old to get your teeth straightened. Here you can learn more about how to get adult braces.
The Benefits of Straight Teeth Explained
The benefits of straight teeth are plentiful. You’ll be healthier and feel better about your appearance. And it’s not so difficult or expensive these days to go through the procedure.
Learn more about various other topics by reading our other articles.