The
most obvious reason people get braces is to improve the appearance of
their smile by repositioning their teeth. However, a crooked smile
can affect the overall health of your mouth too. If you've been
avoiding braces because you feel you're too old, check out these
reasons you need to fix a crooked smile.
Overcrowding
Can Make Cleaning Teeth Hard
One
of the biggest problems with crooked teeth is keeping them clean. If
your teeth overlap or are simply too close together, you may have a
hard time fitting floss between them. Even if you can, the awkward,
tight angles may cause you to miss some plaque when flossing or
brushing. This plaque attracts bacteria and eventually hardens into
plaque.
If
you can't clean your teeth properly, you're going to increase the
risk of tooth decay. The bacteria will begin to eat away at your
enamel, causing it to erode. This allows bacteria to reach the
underlying tooth tissues, causing decay. If the decay reaches the
tooth's pulp, however, it can lead to a painful infection, which may
require root canal therapy or extraction.
Crooked
Teeth Can Affect Other Parts of Your Body
Your
gums will suffer as well if you can't keep your mouth clean. Bacteria
irritates the gums, causing them to become inflamed and tender as
they develop gum disease. At first, gum disease may be easily
treatable with regular cleanings and antibiotics, but long-term risks
include tooth loss and tissue loss of the gums and jawbone.
Once
you have gum disease, if left untreated, it can actually affect other
parts of your body. For starters, studies have
shown that people with gum disease are more likely to have poor
cardiovascular health. There have also been studies linking gum
disease with an increased risk of dementia.
Some
Crooked Teeth Strain the Jaw
Some
crooked teeth can even strain your jawbone, causing pain. This is
more common if your crooked teeth affect how you bite or chew, such
as an overbite. Ideally, when you eat, your teeth should all touch at
the same time and fit comfortably together. If your teeth are
crooked, however, your bite may be uneven.
This
uneven bite means uneven pressure, which puts uneven stress on your
temporomandibular joints (TMJs). You may experience tenderness or
pain in the jaw muscles and joints when eating. In some cases, this
may actually cause people to avoid eating certain foods, which can
lead to malnutrition.
Crooked
Teeth Increase the Risk of Wear and Tear
Your
teeth are designed to undergo normal wear and tear when eating, but
crooked teeth may experience more wear and tear than normal. This
extra stress can cause your teeth to weaken, and they may be more
likely to break. Even if the tooth doesn't break, the constant
rubbing of tooth against tooth can cause the enamel to wear down.
Another
common problem with crooked teeth is protruding front teeth. If you
have this issue, your teeth are more likely to break if you get into
an accident.
The
weaker your teeth get from wear and tear, the more complications
you'll experience, and you may need expensive procedures to fix the
damages, such as dental crowns or veneers. Even then, unless you get
braces or cover all your teeth with crowns, you'll still have crooked
teeth, so the problem will continue.
Crooked
teeth don't just affect your self-esteem; they can affect the overall
health of your smile. You should keep your teeth clean, but crooked
teeth can make cleaning difficult. Plus, crooked teeth experience
more damage, which can become expensive. If you would like more
information about how braces can help you, contact
us at
Donald E. Snyder Orthodontics today.
