2 health benefits of straight teeth
Having straight teeth is great for your self-esteem, but did you know that there are also health benefits of straight teeth? Crooked teeth can actually cause harm to your other teeth and oral health, so having straight teeth is more than just cosmetic. There are two primary health reasons that straight teeth are better.
1. A bad bite can cause tooth wear
When your teeth are crooked or don’t line up properly, they come in contact with each other in a way that they weren’t designed to. An overbite or other malocclusion can cause teeth that rub against each other to wear down. Dental enamel is strong, but it can be damaged by the extra wear and tear created by misaligned teeth. Fluoride does a good job of strengthening tooth enamel to fight cavities, but having straight teeth and a properly aligned bite can help to eliminate unnatural tooth wear.
2. Crooked teeth can hide bacteria
Gaps between teeth that are crooked are a great place for food particles to hide. Or, on the flip-side, teeth that are very close together can be hard to clean with your toothbrush and dental floss. When crooked teeth make cleaning more difficult, leftover food particles provide sugar for bacteria to feed on. This promotes the development of gum disease, which can get out of hand quickly if it isn’t treated.
Straight teeth for oral health
Healthy teeth and gums not only look better, they actually reduce the chances of other problems occurring.
- Crooked teeth can continue to shift out of position as time goes by
- Gaps between teeth can undermine the dental foundation, so gaps caused by shifting teeth or gaps left when teeth are lost can continuously worsen the alignment of the teeth
- Sometimes people with minor issues of crooked teeth in their young adulthood don’t bother having anything done about it, and then find themselves with more severely misaligned teeth as they approach middle age. They may also find that no matter how well they brush and floss, they seem to have bad breath, swollen gums and cavities.
In many cases, failure to correct minor dental problems like gaps or slightly crooked teeth can lead to greater problems later on.
Find out more
If you would like to learn more about the health benefits of straighter teeth, or the treatment options available to straighten yours, please contact Westminster dentist Dr Gary Imm for a consultation.
