Over 33 percent of adults are unhappy with the way their smile looks. They feel their smile impacts everything from their love life to the success of their career.
Braces offer a way for many adults to enhance their smiles. Yet, braces do much more than simply straighten teeth. They can also make a big impact on one’s oral health.
So, how can braces help maintain your health and wellbeing? Read on for seven of the best benefits of braces for adults.
1. Better Brushing Habits
Most people have a twice-daily tooth brushing routine to better their dental health. Yet, it can be hard to reach the surface of crowded, overlapping, or crooked teeth. One of the main benefits of braces is that they help straighten your teeth.
Braces work by applying pressure to the teeth to help improve their position in your mouth. This makes it much easier to maintain hygiene habits like brushing and flossing. This way you can get rid of plaque for a cleaner and brighter smile.
The right brushing habits will prevent your tooth enamel from wearing down as well. It also reduces the risk of cavities and gum disease. These health conditions are even linked to a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease.
2. Fresher Breath
Not being able to clean your teeth properly can result in unpleasant breath. Bacteria build-up often happens when teeth are overcrowded or crooked.
This results from food particles becoming trapped between teeth. Brushing and flossing techniques become less effective at removing these particles. Braces benefits allow you to have a fresher breath as you’re able to target bad breath culprits.
3. Faster Digestion
Braces create fewer gaps and spacing between teeth. This makes it easier to chew food for better digestion. You’re also breaking the food up into smaller pieces before it passes into your stomach.
These benefits of braces for teeth allow the stomach to digest food faster. So, you’re less likely to experience gas, bloating, and other stomach issues.
Your bite can also impact the way you chew food. Chewing can even be painful for some people with a serious bite issue. Braces work to help correct the alignment of your bite and avoid wearing down your jaw bone.
Not being able to chew your food the right way can even impact your diet and lifestyle. This results in missing important nutrients from food, leading to obesity or malnourishment.
4. Smoother Speech
The way your tongue moves against your teeth results in how you pronounce certain words. Improper teeth alignment can interfere with the way you speak.
It may cause you to pronounce some words differently or whistle when you speak. It’s also common for misaligned teeth to create speech problems, like a lisp. Braces can help to correct this for improved speech.
5. Less Risk of Tooth Injury
Still wondering why get braces when you’re an adult? They may be able to reduce your risk of tooth trauma.
Certain accidents can result in chipping or cracking a tooth. This often happens when playing sports or simply slipping and falling.
Tooth injury is more likely to occur if certain teeth stick out more than others. While perfectly aligned teeth do not allow a single tooth to protrude from the mouth. This means your less likely to damage a tooth in an accident.
Braces make your mouth more comfortable as well. You’re less likely to bite your tongue or cheek when the teeth are better aligned inside your mouth.
6. Stronger Jaw Bones
It’s common to lose bone density as you age, resulting in your teeth shifting. Your teeth placement has a direct impact on your jaw bone.
Teeth misalignment can put extra pressure on the bone when chewing or biting. This can even lead to jaw bone erosion in later years.
Built-up bacteria may also lead to bone loss in your jaw. Braces help fix both of these issues by realigning the teeth.
Other jaw issues can come from improper teeth placement. This includes jaw popping or jaw pain and sensitivity. These conditions can even create chronic headaches and earaches for adults.
7. Improved Self-Esteem
For many adults, the main purpose of braces is to boost self-esteem. A perfect smile helps pave the way for better confidence and mental health.
After braces, you’ll experience less anxiety about smiling and showing off your teeth. This new self-image has a positive influence on your relationships, career, and social life.
Studies even show that irregular teeth spacing has an impact on selecting a partner. It may depict how attractive we find the opposite sex.
Another benefit of braces is they improve proportions between your teeth and jaw. Braces make it easy to change your appearance. They help many people overcome their self-consciousness about their smile and facial features.
Most people wear braces for an average of 18 months, depending on your dental needs. Yet, as an adult, you have tons of options for braces.
This includes metal, clear, Invisalign, or self-litigating braces. Here are some tips on how to choose between Invisalign and braces. Innovation in dentistry has also made braces more comfortable and convenient for adults.
Be sure to find what braces look best fits your style, budget, and timeframe. This will create a smoother process for having braces as an adult.
The Key Benefits of Braces for Adults
The benefits of braces for adults extend well beyond a picture-perfect smile. They help to enhance your lifestyle, from your confidence to your dental hygiene. Braces can also lower the risk of certain diseases.
So, are you ready to find out whether you’re an ideal candidate for braces? Learn more about how a complimentary consultation can help improve your smile and oral health.