In today’s image-conscious society, a flaw as simple as a crooked canine tooth or a gap between your front teeth can put a damper on your appearance. It’s sad but true that something so small could have such a profound effect on your self-esteem. Fortunately, Speaks Orthodontics offers many treatment options for straightening crooked and gapped teeth to help you look your very best.
Benefits of Straightening Your Teeth
In addition to improving your physical appearance and giving you more self confidence, consider these other benefits of straight teeth as identified by Invisalign.com:
- Healthier gums: Both when teeth are too close together and too wide apart, the gums suffer. They may become red and swollen or start to recede if teeth are crooked or gapped. Gums are at their strongest when teeth are properly aligned.
- Less tooth decay: When teeth are crooked and overlap each other, food and bacteria have more places to hide. This makes it difficult to keep your teeth clean, even with proper oral hygiene habits. Lingering bacteria on teeth leads to plaque buildup and eventually cavities. Straight teeth are easier to keep clean and therefore less likely to decay if you take good care of them.
- Alleviated mouth and jaw problems: Misaligned teeth can cause bite problems, speech impairments, chewing difficulties and increased tooth wear. By making the effort to straighten your teeth, you can solve these problems all at once.
Options for Straightening Your Teeth
You have four primary types of braces to choose from:
- Metal braces: Sometimes referred to as traditional braces, these teeth-straightening devices use brackets and wires to move your teeth into their proper positions. Depending on your orthodontic needs, your braces may also include spacers, springs, elastic bands and other devices. Metal braces are the most noticeable option and require you to avoid eating certain sticky and hard foods to prevent damaging the brackets and wires. They may also irritate your cheeks and gums.
- Ceramic braces: These braces come with all the same fittings as metal braces, but they are colored to match your teeth so they’re less noticeable. Tooth-colored brackets and white metal or clear elastic ties make up ceramic braces. While they offer an aesthetic benefit, be aware that these braces are more delicate and require you to really watch what you eat.
- Lingual braces: If you want a completely invisible way to straighten your teeth, lingual braces are worth considering. They bond to the back of your teeth so no one knows you have braces. The attachment and adjustment processes are more complicated than with regular braces, largely because the back of your teeth are harder to reach. These braces may irritate your tongue and are more likely than ordinary braces to make speech difficult while you’re wearing them.
- Invisalign: If you have minor teeth problems, invisible braces called Invisalign could be right for you. These involve wearing a series of plastic trays that gradually move your teeth into position. They are much less noticeable than traditional braces. In fact, your friends and family will have to look very closely to see them. With the ability to remove the aligners while you eat, your diet doesn’t need to change while straightening your teeth with Invisalign.