Our smile is one of our most notable features, which is why we go to great efforts to maintain our teeth. Teeth whitening, straightening, and professional cleaning all help our teeth to function and look their best. But do these cosmetic benefits, like straightening your teeth with braces, also have health benefits?

You bet they do. Braces don’t just cosmetically straighten your teeth and smile, but they also have great health benefits. We can look great, but braces can ensure our teeth feel and function at their utmost best too.
For example, did you know that braces prevent gum disease? Most adults in the UK have gum disease to some extent, whether minor or severe. It’s so common, easy to contract, and can develop into more serious forms very quickly. Braces can actually prevent this from happening!
Braces create uniformity in your teeth, lessening the gaps between them. This makes them easier to clean, floss, and maintain. This means that less food can build up and get stuck between your teeth gaps and gums, lessening their exposure to harmful bacteria.
Braces can also prevent tooth decay. By straightening your teeth and realigning any overlapping surfaces, you lessen the frequency of hard to reach areas. Because there are less nooks for food and bacteria to build up in and a more uniform and exposed surface area of tooth to clean, you can actually lessen the likelihood of developing tooth decay.
Getting in the small spaces between and inside of your teeth is incredibly important to cleaning them properly. Your orthodontist can talk you through how best to clean and maintain your teeth after treatment.
You may not have considered this, but a bad bite can drastically affect your dental and jaw health. Luckily, braces can lessen this strain. A misaligned bite can cause unnecessary wear on the affected teeth, affect our jaw’s stability and strength, and cause discomfort. By straightening your teeth using braces, you help avoid these problems and can even realign the upper and lower jaw through proper movement.
While not technically health related, the benefits of straightening your teeth can boost your confidence. Misaligned teeth can affect the way you speak, the way our face is proportioned, and the confidence in our smile. It’s no fun feeling embarrassed about the way you pronounce certain words or feeling like you can’t grin and show your teeth whenever you feel like.
Braces hold a wonderful world of benefits that prolong the health of your teeth and jaw, proving they’re capable of much more than cosmetics. But, if you’re considering braces purely because you would like to improve the look of your teeth, then that’s equally as valid!
The health benefits and the cosmetic improvements combined can help turn your smile into the exact reason you’re smiling in the first place.
Visit our orthodontists at our Maidstone dental practice to discuss your teeth straightening options today. We could help you transform your teeth in just a few visits.