In addition to enhancing your smile, straightening your teeth can also assist you in decreasing your risk for developing serious illnesses. According to Dr. Jacqueline Fulop-Goodling, an Orthodontics, crooked, unevenly spaced, and crowded teeth are more difficult to clean and tend to store more food and bacteria than straight teeth. The food and bacteria increases plaque and bacteria which can lead to tooth decay and periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection of the gums, periodontal ligament, and bone that can enter the blood stream, come in contact with major organs and cause complications.
Gum disease can cause the development of heart disease according to the American academy of periodontology. Gum disease can also contribute to premature birth and low birth weight, increase the risk of stroke, and is a serious threat to people who health is already at risk due to such things as respiratory diseases, osteoporosis, and diabetes. Straightened or properly aligned teeth can help keep tarter and plaque from building up. Tarter and plaque are causes of gum disease. Straight teeth make it easier for you to brush and floss and help gums have a tighter fit around the teeth. Therefore straighter teeth cause better gum health.
Today we have more advanced technology than we did before. This advanced technology makes it easier to straighten teeth and makes doing so less noticeable than previous times. For example, invisalign is a well-known technique that straightens teeth utilizing a series of clear custom made and removable aligners. Research has shown that invisalign can improve gum health more so than other teeth straightening techniques, because there are no wires or brackets to be concerned about and users of invisalign can take out the invisalign braces very easily on their own before and after meals to brush and floss their teeth. Invisalign can be taken out any time, but you have to keep them on your teeth for a certain amount of time each day for it to work and be effective. Other health benefits from straightening the teeth are improved speech and chewing and less strain on supporting bone and jaw joints.
Top photo credit: Invisalign first tray by haleyhughes
In text photo credit: 168/365 by Xelcise