Whether you never got the chance to have braces fitted as a teen or you did but your teeth have moved back to similar to their original position after you stopped wearing retainers, there are several great reasons to consider getting adult braces. Those who are not happy with the appearance of their teeth have several different options to choose from for correcting their smile and getting the look that they want. Along with straightening any misaligned teeth and potentially correcting your bite if needed, there are many benefits of getting adult braces, including healthier teeth overall.
Straighter Teeth
Of course, the main benefit of getting adult braces is that they will straighten your teeth. Whether you have serious misalignment issues with teeth overlapping others or severe overcrowding in your mouth, or just have a couple of teeth that aren’t straight that bother you from time to time, there’s a brace option out there that will suit you and help you achieve your goals for your smile.
Healthier Teeth
Not only do straighter teeth look great, but they are also healthier, which is often the most important thing. Teeth that overlap each other or are seriously crowded in the mouth can be really difficult to clean thoroughly, which leads to food particles getting trapped between the teeth for longer and causes plaque and decay. If your teeth tightly overlap one another, there may be some areas of your teeth that are impossible to clean because they are behind another. Straightening your teeth means that it’ll be easier to floss in between them and since all parts of every tooth will be visible, making sure that they are thoroughly cleaned will be much easier.
Healthier Bones
Along with leading to healthier teeth, getting braces fitted can help to stop bone erosion. This is because the placement of your teeth will affect the amount of pressure that you put on your jaw bone when you speak or chew food. The pressure stimulates bone growth that holds your teeth in place and over time, if your teeth are crooked, too much force can come down on certain teeth when you eat which can lead to bone erosion. In addition, it can lead to less pressure on certain areas causing a lack of stimulation.
Reduce Gum Disease Risk
Along with reducing your risk of tooth decay by having your teeth straightened, getting braces can also reduce your risk of developing gum disease. This is because when teeth are placed too tightly together, it can make flossing difficult. You may have even given up on flossing your teeth if you struggle to get the floss in between them or get floss stuck there. Not being able to get dental floss up to your gum line puts you at a higher risk of developing gum disease. After getting braces, flossing your teeth should be much easier and much more effective.
Improve Speech
Many people don’t realise that your speech is affected by more than just your voice. When you speak, the movement of your tongue against the top of your mouth and your teeth helps to form the sounds that you make. If your teeth are pushing too far forward or lying backwards in your mouth, you are at a higher risk of developing a lisp or other speech issues. Moving these teeth into alignment can help to improve speech issues quickly.
Improve Digestion
When you have seriously misaligned teeth, chewing your food properly can become a nightmare. If your teeth do not fit together properly, this will have an impact on how well you can chew and since the digestive process begins in the mouth, it can affect your body’s entire digestive system. Being unable to chew your food properly can lead to stomach aches and other digestive issues if your body is struggling to break down larger chunks of food.
Correct Jaw Pain
When the teeth are misaligned, your jaw joints may try to self-correct. However, over time this can lead to jaw disorders that can cause painful and uncomfortable systems. For example, people with misaligned teeth are more likely to suffer from jaw popping, headaches, tooth grinding and jaw pain, which are all signs that your joints are trying to make up for the misalignment in your teeth. If you have experienced any of these symptoms, mention them to your orthodontist. They will be able to put together a treatment plan designed to adjust your teeth in a way that will improve these symptoms after the treatment.
More Confidence
Of course, crooked teeth aren’t a reason to lose your self-confidence and there are many confident people out there who don’t have perfectly straight teeth. But if your teeth are something that has bothered you for a long time and you don’t like the way that you look in photographs when you smile, braces can help you fix the problem. Straightening your teeth can help to fill you with confidence when you smile and get rid of any lurking anxieties about how your teeth look.
Options to Choose From
When it comes to getting adult braces, there are several options that you can choose from. Traditional ‘train track’ braces are no longer your only choice if you decide to get your teeth straightened. There is a range of brace options on the market designed to be more suited to an adult lifestyle. While traditional metal braces are still typically the best option for people who want to correct severe crookedness and misalignment of the teeth, clear ceramic braces are a good alternative fixed brace option that you may be able to get instead. While they are still fixed in your mouth, they tend to be much less noticeable compared to traditional braces.
Clear aligners are another option that tends to be ideal for those with smaller problems to fix. These aligners are typically worn at night and throughout the day wherever you can. You’ll take them out to eat, brush your teeth and for any special events that you don’t want to have braces on for. Check out the clear aligners available from Straight My Teeth at https://www.straightmyteeth.com/. Straight My Teeth offer custom retainers to straighten your smile with tooth whitening options for an even better result.
Payment Plans
If you really want to straighten your teeth but have been put off by the high cost of getting braces, you needn’t worry any longer. Most good orthodontic companies today will offer a range of affordable payment plans that you can take advantage of to spread the cost of getting braces over the duration of your treatment. You can choose to pay upfront or spread the cost over a year or so with monthly or quarterly payments available. If you have an orthodontist, speak to them about the payment plan options available for braces to see if they have any plans that might be more suitable for your personal financial situation.
Whether you’re dealing with serious tooth misalignment or have a couple of teeth that bother you because they are not straight, getting adult braces can benefit you in many more ways than simply providing you with a straighter smile.
