4 Things Braces can Fix

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Braces can be exciting, scary, expensive, and rewarding all at once. If you lack confidence in your smile due to a misaligned jaw or bad teeth, then braces might just be the answer for you. Rather than suppressing your smile, you deserve to feel confident in showing it off to everyone you cross paths with. Not only can braces help with the appearance of your teeth, but they can also improve your oral health as well. 

How do Braces Work?

The roots of your teeth are connected to your jaw through a membrane in the gums, which allows the teeth to be moveable. When strategic pressure is placed on teeth, then slowly, but surely, they will move in the direction they are being pulled.

The classic form of braces includes individual metal brackets that are connected by an archwire. Some other types include ceramic (clear), lingual (behind the teeth), aligner trays (aka invisible braces).

Who can get Braces?

Anyone can get braces, but children achieve the best results since their teeth and jaw are not fully developed yet. Adults can get braces, but the process may take longer. There are also certain adjustments that may not be achieved once the jaw has lost its flexibility in adulthood.

What can they Fix?

1. Crooked Teeth

We don’t really have much control over how straight our teeth grow back after losing our baby teeth, but thankfully crooked teeth can be fixed with braces. You might have a tooth that grows a little slanted compared to the rest, or maybe one that juts out a little farther than the others. The applied pressure and readjustment of bands from braces can help straighten your smile to make it nice and even.

2. Crowded Teeth

Crowded teeth are when your teeth grow in a little too close together, which can create overlapping. It also affects your oral health if you are unable to floss and remove plaque and bacteria from between the crowded teeth. One way this is fixed is by extracting one or multiple teeth to create space and then using braces to spread the teeth out evenly.

3. Gaps Between Teeth

Just as teeth can grow too close together, they can also grow too far apart as well. Gaps between teeth are known as diastema, which is particularly common between the two front teeth. While it doesn’t typically have an effect on oral health, it does cause many to suffer from self-esteem issues.

4. Misaligned Jaws

Not only do braces help straighten and fix teeth, but they can also fix crooked and misaligned jaws. Two common issues with misalignment are known as an “overbite” and an “underbite.” An overbite is when your top teeth overlap your bottom teeth to the point of having a gap between the two when you close your mouth. An underbite is just the opposite; the bottom jaw juts out causing the bottom teeth to extend farther than the top teeth. With the help of elastic bands strategically placed on certain brackets, over time braces can shift the jaw to an evenly aligned position.

Committing to having metal glued to your teeth for around 3 years is a major decision to make, and a costly one at that. However, it may be just what you need to get your oral health in check and give you that extra confidence to show off your smile.