Getting orthodontic treatments such as braces is known to help straighten one’s teeth, improving their appearance. But aside from that aspect, such a treatment could also help ensure your long-term oral health.
However, for some people, getting braces may seem like a chore. After all, braces usually stay on your teeth for up to two years. On top of that, you need to schedule regular dental appointments to check and adjust your braces. This, perhaps, raises the question of when’s the right time to get one- is it better to get dental braces while you’re young or once you’re older?
If you ask an orthodontist, there are generally a lot of factors to consider before coming up with a recommendation. Perhaps you’re planning to get braces but are unsure when’s the right time to do so. In such a case, this article can be for you.
This post lists some of the reasons why it’s better to get dental braces while you’re young.
It Establishes Good Oral Hygiene
Receiving orthodontic treatments at a younger age means you get to be introduced to and maintain a thorough dental hygiene practice. This is especially true since having braces means that you’ll have metal brackets, bands, archwire, and rubber rings attached to your teeth. And as such, you may have to brush and floss more often than you normally would.
With that in mind, getting dental braces while you’re young can help you ease into good oral hygiene that you’re likely to carry as you grow up.
To help you start your journey to a healthier smile, contact your local orthodontist or check sites such as AltaSmiles.com to know what your options are.
It Helps Prevent Other Dental Issues
Before you get dental braces, among the initial steps an orthodontist is likely to perform is to conduct an assessment to determine how a patient’s treatment plan will go. They’d have to conduct a thorough dental check to assess the health of your teeth. This can be beneficial since early detection and treatment of possible oral health problems can help you avoid problems before they get worse.
Some of the common dental issues due to teeth misalignment include:
Gum Disease
Crooked or misaligned teeth can make it easier for food particles and plaque to get stuck between them. As a result, bacteria can grow and spread through the mouth, potentially harming the gums.
However, using dental braces to straighten your teeth can make it easier to brush and floss. The infection can be stopped before it develops into gum disease because fewer particles are trapped.
Tooth Decay
In the same way that wearing braces at an early age helps reduce your risk of gum disease, it can also help prevent tooth decay.
Teeth with overlapping or conspicuous surfaces tend to wear unevenly. This can make teeth tough to clean since they don’t engage equally in the process of biting and chewing. Germs can easily thrive and spread when plaque and food particles between teeth aren’t removed. Some of the surface enamel on your teeth may also be affected by bacteria, leading to decay.
Wearing dental braces at a young age can aid in the prevention of tooth decay by ensuring that the teeth are correctly aligned and easy to clean and maintain.
Teeth Damage
When a person has misaligned or overlapping teeth, the pressure on their teeth is usually not evenly distributed. Too much effort on a single tooth might cause it to crack or break. Protruding teeth pose a similar issue. Often, they don’t have a strong base.
But when your teeth are aligned with a dental brace, the force can be spread out evenly, and the chances of having permanently damaged teeth from physical injury can be much lower than they would be without the braces.
Based on the list above, misaligned teeth are among the reasons behind common dental issues. However, you can prevent such problems if you have them straightened with dental braces while you’re young.
Speech Improvement
Another reason why it could be better to have dental braces while you’re young is when there’s a need to address challenges in speaking. It’d be worth noting that your teeth play a role in your speech. In some cases, improperly aligned teeth or jaws can cause slurring, lisping, and mispronouncing ‘S’ and ‘T.’
For that reason, the earlier a person receives the proper orthodontic treatment to improve their teeth alignment, the more successful speech therapy can be. This can also help prevent the stress one may potentially experience during their developmental years. And more so, it can help build one’s confidence and self-esteem.
It Helps Improve Gut Health
One of the effects of misaligned teeth includes having a hard time eating and digesting food. Perhaps, a typical complaint among those with teeth alignment problems is an inability to chew their food correctly. In some cases, this can result in poor nutrition and indigestion. There are also instances of digestive pain, irritable intestines, and difficulties feeling full.
Wearing dental braces while you’re young helps straighten your teeth, allowing all of your teeth to close and chew properly early on. Furthermore, intestinal pain and discomfort can also be decreased because less badly chewed food enters the stomach.
It Increases Comfort
At a young age, wearing braces can positively impact a person’s general well-being. For instance, your tongue, gums, and cheeks are more prone to be bitten if you have teeth that are not correctly aligned. Teeth are also more prone to cause general pain due to gum tissue pulling and jaw and mouth strain.
But with dental braces, it’s possible to shift teeth into a more natural and comfortable position. And getting them while you’re young can help immediately address the problem.
It Boosts Confidence And Self-Esteem
A healthy and beautiful smile goes a long way, not just in terms of your oral health but well-being too. This is especially true since misaligned or crooked teeth are one of the culprits why some people tend to feel shy when smiling. However, this can be corrected by wearing dental braces as early as possible, allowing you to feel more confident and comfortable in your skin.
When you feel confident and have healthy self-esteem, you’re likely to do better at what you do and achieve your goals. Getting dental braces while you’re young can help set you up for the life and career you want when you grow older. If this is something you’re interested in, visiting the pediatric dentist in upper east side is definitely a good option.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, there are a lot of advantages to getting dental braces early on. But aside from the health benefits of correcting your teeth alignment and promoting good oral hygiene, having braces while you’re young can also help boost your self-esteem, causing you to look and feel more confident in your smile.