Ready, and…smile! Wait, what’s wrong?
So many people hide their smiles in photos because they lack perfectly straight teeth. In fact, almost 57% of Americans prefer a beautiful smile over clear skin. Is having nice teeth really that important?
Yes! Having perfectly straight teeth can improve multiple aspects of your life from health to social and psychological areas.
Keep reading to discover 10 reasons having straight teeth matters.
1. Decreased Risk of Tooth Decay
When brushing and flossing, it’s important you have easy access to your teeth. Crooked teeth, on the other hand, create more places where plaque can hide away.
Letting plaque sit around gives bacteria the opportunity to mingle with the food you’ve eaten. This releases acids, which in turn can cause cavities. Tooth decay can cause pain and tooth loss.
Plus, it’s expensive to clear away.
With perfectly straight teeth, you’ll have an easier time brushing to decrease your risk of tooth decay!
2. Eliminate Tooth Grinding
Crooked teeth don’t rest together correctly the way perfect, straight teeth do. When the teeth don’t align, it can cause uneven wear against the enamel. You might also notice small chips in your teeth.
Straightening your teeth can improve your bite and lessen teeth grinding, or bruxism.
3. Healthier Gums
Remember, perfectly straight teeth make it easier to brush and floss, thereby removing plaque. When plaque sticks around between crooked teeth, it can cause inflammation. In time, inflammation can start to infect the gums and cause gingivitis.
This gum disease causes red, swollen, and/or bleeding gums.
If left without treatment, gingivitis can escalate to periodontitis. A more severe type of gum disease, periodontitis can lead to tooth loss. With this gum disease, toxins in the plaque will eat at the bone and ligaments holding your teeth in place.
Gum disease can also lead to diabetes, premature birth, heart disease, and stroke.
When you discover how to get straight teeth, however, you can avoid these issues before they develop.
4. Improving Chewing
Improving your bite also makes it easier to chew and speak.
To eat a well-balanced diet, you’ll need the ability to chew properly. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on essential vitamins and minerals.
When you increase your bite and chewing with perfectly straight teeth, you’re improving your overall health, too.
5. Avoid Injury
Crooked teeth that stick out or protrude at odd angles make it more likely you’ll injure yourself. For example, you might accidentally bite your tongue or knock out your teeth.
A dentist can discuss your options so you can discover how to get your teeth straight.
6. Open Your Airways
Straighter teeth can also open your airways, which helps reduce sleep apnea. A dentist can provide a custom mouthpiece or clear liner. In addition to curing sleep apnea, interceptive orthodontic treatments can also prevent related health problems.
Clear liners, such as Invisalign, can help you achieve a straight and beautiful smile. Discover if you’re an ideal candidate to learn more.
7. Make Space
If you’re missing a few teeth, dental implants are always an option. Dental implants can restore your smile and improve your ability to chew and speak.
Before receiving dental implants, however, the dentist will likely want to straighten your teeth.
This can improve the space among your existing teeth to make space for the new implants.
8. Maintain a Healthy Jaw
The bones that support your teeth could break down if there’s too much spacing or stress on the gums. A misaligned bite can also cause tooth loss and pain.
Having perfectly straight teeth will help align your jaw.
This, in turn, can remove stress from the jaw joint, correct your bite, and help relieve pain and headaches.
9. Social Success
Not all of the benefits of perfectly straight teeth are physical.
According to research, people with improved smiles are perceived as more intelligent and therefore more likely to find a job.
The first impression we make on people matters. When people see a straight smile, they’re more likely to think of us as successful, smarter, healthier, and happier. Society places a lot of significance on a good smile.
By discovering how to get straight teeth, you can experience social success throughout your life. Who knows; it might help you get a date or the dream job you’ve always wanted.
10. Boost Your Confidence
Sometimes, we’re so focused on our appearance that we forget to see what’s happening around us. That self-consciousness can hurt our confidence, especially for children in their developmental years.
Getting teased about not having perfect, straight teeth can leave a lasting effect.
With orthodontic treatment, you can boost your self-confidence and self-esteem.
A higher level of self-esteem can encourage us to take risks in social situations. It can also improve school performance and make us eager to try new experiences. Meanwhile, you’ll no longer have to worry about bullying or peer pressure.
When we feel less stressed about our smile, we also improve our heart rate and blood pressure. As the cortisol stress hormone decreases, we feel happier, improving our overall health.
A perfectly straight smile can influence our quality of life into adult years, too.
With confidence, we’re more likely to tackle challenges. We’re also more likely to approach someone to make new connections.
Many people consider their smile an important feature. With perfectly straight teeth, you can take social risks you otherwise wouldn’t have. Instead of keeping busy hiding your crooked teeth, you can smile with confidence and take the world by storm!
Success in a Smile: Why Having Perfectly Straight Teeth Matters
With these 10 benefits of having perfectly straight teeth, it’s no wonder more people are looking to improve their smile. Once you straighten your teeth, you can smile ear-to-ear with renewed confidence and a healthier lifestyle.
Want to discover how to get straight teeth for yourself? Contact us today to ask about improving your smile with clear liners.
Using Invisalign, you can get the beautiful smile you’ve always wanted—and experience these 10 benefits yourself!