Braces change more than your smile.

Who wants to smile unabashedly, showing off gorgeous, perfectly aligned teeth?  Everyone, of course!  A smile is a BIG deal when it comes to self-esteem and overall self-confidence. It’s no wonder that the desire for a perfect smile is the main reason people come to see us here at Payne Orthodontics, and we can deliver!  But did you know of the many other benefits of orthodontic treatment? Here’s are just a few:

1. Prevention of Tooth Decay and Gum Disease

Crooked, misaligned, or overlapping teeth are more difficult to keep clean.  Because the contact points between crowded teeth are overly tight, brushing and flossing is much more difficult to perform effectively.  If oral bacteria is not properly removed from tooth surfaces, cavities, gingivitis, and eventually bone loss (or gum disease) may ensue.

2. Decreased Wear of Teeth

When teeth are not aligned properly, the biting surfaces of these teeth do not meet up ideally and lack protection when chewing and grinding.  Left untreated, these teeth are more susceptible to the wearing down of protective enamel and may eventually require restoration by your dentist.

3. Improved Restorability of Teeth

Crooked teeth and certain bite problems can make restoring teeth a nightmare for your dentist.  Without sufficient space, it is often difficult to achieve optimal results when restoring damaged or missing teeth.  This in turn may lead to a compromised result and decreased longevity of these expensive restorations.

4. Improvement of Speech

The ability to make certain sounds when speaking is influenced by the way teeth, lips, and the tongue interact.  If teeth are too far forward, too far back, or too far apart, speech patterns may be affected.

5. Prevention of Bone Erosion

Without tooth support, bone begins to erode.  This is true for cases in which teeth are missing from birth or for those in which teeth have been removed due to infection or cavities.  Bone erosion may also occur due to excessive space between teeth when bite forces are poorly directed.  Orthodontic treatment will place your teeth in the proper location with a proper bite to minimize chances of bone erosion

6. Improved Digestion

Before food enters your stomach and eventually the intestinal tract for digestion, it is first broken and ground up into small pieces by your teeth, where salivary enzymes begin the process in the mouth.  If teeth do not fit together properly, this digestive process may be encumbered.