Smiles can get you noticed. People, whether they are teens or adults, want a nice smile. A smile can improve confidence and also improve other parts of your life in school and career. After all, a smile is one of those things that people remember.
Orthodontics can help you improve your smile in several ways. It can straighten your teeth, fix a bite issue, and even help prevent tooth problems in years to come. However, orthodontics covers more than braces.
How Orthodontics Improves Smiles
The primary way orthodontics improves smiles is by repositioning and realigning teeth. Crooked teeth can detract from an overall beautiful smile. Orthodontics fixes that.
Crooked teeth come in a variety of forms and stem from many different issues. Some become mispositioned due to thumb-sucking as a child or an oral injury. Repositioning teeth back into place can give your smile a neat, straight appearance.
Besides crooked teeth, some may have a problem with crowded teeth. This is when teeth grow too close together and appear to be pushing each other out of place. Orthodontics is also a remedy for this issue as braces can separate and give each tooth more room.
Bite problems, or malocclusion, happen when teeth are off position. This usually refers to when teeth are protruding outward too much or inward too much, referring to the terms overbite and underbite.
These types of problems cause more than appearance issues. Bite problems also prevent the person from chewing their food properly and could be problematic because they may bite their tongue or cheek regularly, which can cause pain.
Correcting a bite problem is important to overall health later in life as well as something that can build confidence in their smile.
Gaps are another issue that orthodontists work to fix. Many don’t realize it but an orthodontist is really a cosmetic type of dentist with the ability to correct many aesthetic issues beyond crooked teeth.
Gaps between the teeth are one of those things that are noticeable when you smile and correcting them will improve your look.
Another issue for some people is missing teeth. Missing teeth can be an issue in three ways. First, the empty spaces are noticeable if they are missing from the front of the mouth and could be noticeable if they are further back when you talk. Missing teeth can impair speech and eating function, as well as make for a worse smile.
A missing tooth can also cause other teeth to move as each tooth is braced against another. That means your other teeth could shift and become crooked over time if that tooth space isn’t replaced.
An orthodontist has solutions for missing teeth that will look and feel like your natural teeth. Bridges and implants are just two options for replacing missing teeth.
One problem some people have is that they have differences in jaw size and tooth size. This isn’t a common problem but either or both could cause a problem with creating a nice smile. An orthodontist can help you with those issues as well.
Different-sized teeth or jaw size problems could include alignment issues so there could be multiple things to address.
Fixing a problem like different-sized teeth may require several types of procedures. That could include veneers along with braces or other procedures to address all the problems. An orthodontist may choose to work with your dentist or other oral specialist for complicated mouth issues.
Fixing these types of oral problems can also be the remedy for other health issues like Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction, or TMJ/TMD. Remedying mouth issues relieves the pressure placed on the jaw and that could provide relief.
Many people get braces as a teen and think their days of crooked teeth are over. They are disappointed to find they have similar problems later in life. That can be attributed to the fact that poorly fitted braces are often responsible for crooked teeth in adults. Braces that are too tight or too loose can cause problems, as well as braces that aren’t adjusted regularly.
Should You Get Braces?
Getting your tooth issues, like crooked or missing teeth, fixed by an orthodontist will not only give you a great smile now but can help you create a look you can keep your entire life. Tooth issues, like overcrowded or crooked teeth, can cause other problems like cavities or tooth decay.
Crowded or crooked teeth mean some areas will be harder to clean than others. That leaves plenty of places where bacteria can grow, causing cavities and decay. Straightening and fixing these types of teeth issues will allow for better cleaning and that will improve your oral health, and possibly your physical health, throughout your life.
One of the biggest confidence boosters for many people is improving their smile. Some people will cover their mouths with their hands and refuse to open their smiles up for pictures because they are embarrassed. An orthodontist can correct serious smile problems so that you can smile with confidence in any situation.
Adults with smile issues may think they are too old for braces. That simply isn’t true. More adults than ever are taking advantage of new technologies that can discretely improve your smile.
There are clear braces that are far less noticeable than the old-fashioned metal types. Many adults and teens are choosing Invisalign clear aligners. These are almost invisible aligners you can wear anywhere for meetings, pictures, school, or work without people even noticing you have them on. They are a good choice for adults who want to improve their smile without drawing attention to what they are doing.
The best way to start your journey to a new, improved smile is to talk to an orthodontist about your options. They can show you a treatment plan that is right for you and your budget. You will have an improved smile in no time.