We’ve talked about how important orthodontic care can be for kids. But if you didn’t get braces as a preteen, is it too late?
Not at all! Orthodontics can improve your oral health and the look of your smile at any age.
Here are 5 of the major benefits of adult orthodontics.
1. Beautify Your Smile
It’s far from the only reason to consider straightening your teeth, but helping your smile look its best is a huge perk!
Gaps, rotated teeth, and other misalignments can compromise your confidence. Straightening and properly aligning your teeth can create balance and harmony to your smile.
Adult ortho is often a great first step if you’re considering a smile makeover. Aligning your teeth gives us a good foundation for restorations like veneers and crowns.
Not only will your smile look more beautiful, but your restorations will last longer, too!
2. Help Your Restorations Last
Misalignments create imbalances in your bite. When teeth are rotated or don’t match up properly, it creates areas of heavier pressure when you bite and chew.
Bite problems can significantly shorten the lifespan of many restorations. Veneers may be knocked loose over and over because of rotated teeth that hit too hard when you close.
To make sure your restorations last as long as possible, adult orthodontics can relieve areas of heavy pressure and prevent excess wear and tear.
And just like restorations, a good bite protects your natural teeth, too!
3. Prevent Wear on Your Teeth
Tooth enamel is a hard, durable material. But it’s not invincible!
Just like an uneven bite can shorten the lifespan of your dental work, it can also put serious strain on your natural teeth.
Bite imbalances can wear down enamel, shortening your teeth. Your front teeth may chip frequently or become thin and transparent. Your molars may start to look flattened on top.
A heavy bite between natural enamel and porcelain or ceramic can spell serious problems, too. Porcelain and ceramic can speed up enamel wear, leading to even more dental work to repair the damage.
Bite problems lead to cracks, fractures, tooth sensitivity, and in some cases even nerve damage and the need for root canal therapy!
Adult orthodontics can protect your teeth and improve your oral health. But it’s also good for your gums!
4. Prevent and Reverse Gum Disease
Can orthodontics help with gum disease? Yes!
It might not seem obvious at first, but orthodontic care can improve your gum health. Braces can help your gums in two ways.
- Make your teeth easier to keep clean. Rotated and crowded teeth are hard to brush and floss effectively, so they’ll tend to build more plaque. Even small gaps can create food traps that can lead to gum infections and inflammation. Properly aligned teeth are easier to brush and floss, which can significantly cut down on gingivitis.
- Alleviate imbalances that put pressure on the jawbone. As we already mentioned, bite problems can put significant strain on your teeth. It can also compromise the support structures that hold your teeth in place. Imagine if you wiggled a fence post a little each day. It would get looser and looser and eventually fall out. The same thing can happen with teeth that get uneven pressure when you bite and chew. An uneven bite can affect the ligaments that hold your teeth in the bone as well as wear away at the bone itself.
Aligning your bite can help reverse gum disease as well as slow down the progress of certain types of bone loss associated with periodontal disease.
It can also help keep your jaw joints healthy!
5. Relieve Jaw Problems and Headaches
Bite problems lead to grinding and clenching habits called bruxism as your jaw looks for a stable resting position.
Many people grind their teeth at night without even knowing it!
Over time, bruxism can wear on your jaw joints, damage the cartilage pad that protects the bone, and even cause arthritis. Grinding and clenching also causes tooth sensitivity.
Many people suffer with frequent headaches and even migraines from bruxism. You may notice stiff neck muscles and pain that radiates into your upper back, all from tooth grinding.
Adult orthodontics can improve TMJ disorder symptoms by relieving the imbalances that trigger grinding.
If you’re starting to think you want to talk to an orthodontist near you in Orlando, FL, talk to us!
Ask Us If Adult Orthodontics Can Help You!
At Lake Baldwin Dental, we want you to get the absolute best dental care and oral health possible. We don’t provide orthodontic care here in our office. Instead, we partner with several specialists with the dedicated technology and training to give you the most cutting-edge options for the health of your smile.
Remember, getting your teeth straightened as an adult doesn’t always mean braces! Clear aligners like Invisalign® are a great option for many people.
Invisalign for adults works especially well if you had orthodontics as a kid but your teeth have relapsed and shifted over time.
Let us know at your next cleaning if you’re considering adult orthodontics. We can help you weigh the potential benefits and get you set up with a great orthodontist in Orlando, FL who can help!
