5 Key Benefits of Dental Braces and Invisalign (Including a Great Smile)
As a dental practitioner, I help adults and children use braces to improve their smiles and achieve more confidence when speaking, smiling, and laughing. Braces, however, provide more benefits that aren’t simply cosmetic. Braces can improve your teeth’s health and function in many ways.
If you’re unsure whether you need braces or not, you should book a consultation with your local dentist in Maroubra. A professional dental practitioner will have the knowledge and expertise to evaluate whether braces are the right step for you.
When you get braces, what benefits will you receive? Keep reading to find out about the top 5 benefits of dental braces for oral health and confidence.
1. Preventing Gum Disease And Tooth Decay
Did you know that dental braces play an important role in preventing gum disease and tooth decay? If your teeth are crowded, then you will have a more challenging time cleaning in between them using a standard toothbrush or floss. Additionally, if your teeth are too close together, this could cause food to become stuck in between your teeth, leading to halitosis or bad breath.
Hard-to-reach areas in the mouth can become hotbeds for plaque and tartar, which, left unremedied, can cause tooth decay. If your natural teeth begin to decay, you may need to have dental procedures performed to correct the colour of your teeth and restore their strength. So, it’s best to take care of your natural teeth and avoid decay.
2. Aiding Proper Digestion
Braces don’t just correct the shape of your teeth but also help correct the misalignment of the jaw. Some patients with misaligned jaws note that jaw movement is restricted, making chewing painful.
Having braces fitted to correct misalignment in the teeth and jaw can aid in proper digestion, helping you chew and break down foods. If your food is thoroughly chewed, this will lead to better digestion and fewer bouts of heartburn and indigestion.
3. Prevention Of Bone Erosion
Jawbone deterioration is a condition caused by misalignment of the teeth and jaw. When the teeth have no opposing tooth structure, this can cause loss of stimulation in the jawbone, leading to bone erosion. Jawbone erosion is common in patients with missing teeth. Braces can help align the teeth and provide a better opposing tooth structure.
4. Great Smile And Confidence Boost
Crooked teeth, gaps in the teeth, and misalignment can lead to confidence issues for some. Often, I come across patients who avoid smiling or speaking with an emphasis on trying to hide their teeth. If you feel ashamed or embarrassed about the structure of your teeth, you can correct them at any age with dental braces.
5. Correction Of Disproportionate Teeth And Speech Improvement
Jaw misalignment includes overbites and underbites that can have a significant impact on the way a person speaks. For instance, an overbite could lead to a lisp. Braces can help to align disproportionate teeth and lips to improve speech.
Invisalign And Dental Braces
If you’re deciding to invest in dental braces, you need to know all of your options. There is an alternative to braces that performs a similar function without the permanence of braces – Invisalign.
What Is Invisalign?
Invisalign is an alternative to braces. It is a clear aligner that your dentist will make by creating an imprint on your teeth. This aligner is designed to correct the structure of the teeth over a long duration of use.
When you opt for Invisalign, you need to receive a new set of aligners every few weeks to get you closer to your desired smile. Invisalign can correct the shape of the teeth, but they do not correct misalignment of the jaw as dental braces do.
Invisalign is not visible in the mouth. Since the aligners are clear, you cannot see them on the teeth without closer inspection. Many patients would be embarrassed to have braces due to their appearance and the misconception that braces are only for children and teens. Invisalign allows these patients to correct the shape of their teeth without embarrassment.
Another benefit of Invisalign is that you can remove it whenever you like. With braces, you cannot eat certain foods. For example, you should avoid foods that will stain your braces, like curry and red wine, and you shouldn’t eat sticky foods that could become stuck in your braces – like chewing gum and candied apples. Patients with Invisalign do not need to worry about what they eat. Instead, they can simply remove their Invisalign aligner whenever they eat and place it back in position once they have finished their meal and rinsed their mouth.
Which Is Best? Invisalign Or Braces?
Many patients struggle to know whether braces or Invisalign would be their best choice. Of course, if the patient needs jaw realignment, their dental practitioner will likely recommend dental braces.
When it comes to Invisalign and braces, they both perform similar functions. And both dental aligners will cause some discomfort, so, unfortunately, you will not get to skip out on the pain of braces by choosing Invisalign.
One of the most important things to include in your decision-making process is an evaluation of your self-discipline. You see, with Invisalign, you must commit to wearing them for at least 20 hours in the day, which means you can’t forget to put them in or take them out for long periods. If you’re a forgetful person, it might be best to opt for dental braces, as they are a more permanent fixture.
Ultimately, you will need to consult your dentist to determine whether Invisalign or braces are the right fit for you. Either way, at the end of your treatment, you will have a smile you can be proud of!
Need Dental Alignment Correction?
Misaligned teeth and jaws are a common issue, and they are entirely correctable with the help of braces or Invisalign. Correcting your smile has benefits beyond your mouth’s cosmetic appeal. Speak to your local Maroubra dentist to learn about your treatment options!
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