Everyone prefers straight teeth to crooked ones. However, having a perfect smile is not the only benefit.

If your teeth are straight, it benefits your overall body.

Do you know that they can also improve your digestion? Are you aware that they also aid your speech?

You should definitely straighten your teeth to get a bright smile though there are much more benefits that extend beyond that and can improve your quality of life.

Want to know more? This article discusses those benefits. Keep reading to know if you should straighten your teeth.

closeup of straight teeth with healthy gums and jaws

 

1. Straight Teeth Make Gums and Jaw Healthy

If you have crooked teeth with an overbite or underbite somewhere, it is possible that you do have a bad bite.

That bad bite causes pressure and stress on your jaws and the joints.

The temporomandibular joints connect the jaw to the skull. These are close to the ear.

Hence, your misaligned teeth, bite problems and misalignment of the jaw cause a strain on this joint as well as the surrounding muscles.

This irritates and puts pressure on the joints and the pain travels from your mouth to your skull and surrounding areas.

As a result, you will feel chronic pain in your head and ears.

You can have a headache, ringing in the ears as well as jaw pain and feeling dizzy.

Though as soon as you get straighter teeth, you will reduce the pressure on your jaw and TMJ.

This will make you pain-free and help align your jaw.

Furthermore, if you have crooked and misaligned teeth then it is easier for plaque to accumulate there just how it is  tooth brushing is easier in teeth that are straight.

Therefore, if you cannot brush or floss properly then this plaque will turn into tartar and cavities.

It can worsen and lead to gingivitis as well.

You need to immediately treat gum disease as it can lead to tooth loss if the bacteria begin eating the ligament.

Therefore, if your teeth are straight then you can brush and floss properly.

If you have cleaner teeth then you have fewer chances of accumulating plaque.

Your gums and jaw remain healthy and this aids other functions of the body. More on that below.

2. Helps Digestion

All teeth help to chew, break and swallow food right?

Yes, but not all of them aid in digestion and make it better only straight ones do.

That is actually because teeth that are straight chew and break down food properly.

If you have poor alignment of teeth then it is harder for you to chew food.

It also stops you from getting proper nutrition and intake of food.

If you chew and break down food properly then the bacteria present in the stomach work more effectively to digest the food particles.

If you are not able to do so because of the poor condition of your teeth then it will hinder the absorption of food and the breakdown of nutrients.

Therefore, you need to have aligned teeth that do not hinder the chewing and breakdown of food particles in your mouth to further go to your stomach.

While digestion mainly happens in the stomach, the teeth and saliva are essential components in aiding it.

woman with bruxism

 

3. Stops Bruxism

One of the causes of bruxism (also known as teeth grinding), is that the upper and lower teeth are not aligned and do not rest properly against one another.

Therefore you may end up grinding your teeth unconsciously in sleep or consciously.

Hence, this will deteriorate the shape of your teeth especially canines and will disrupt chewing and appearance.

Though bruxism will also affect your other body organs.

It will disrupt your sleep and will give you mild headaches.

You may also experience more tooth sensitivity as your enamel is worn down as well as soreness in your jaw and neck.

Teeth grinding also fractures and chips your teeth. Misaligned protruding teeth generally are at a higher risk of breaking down if you get an injury or fall.

Moreover, through teeth grinding and improper care, your teeth can weaken which increases the risk of chipping.

If you straighten your teeth you will be able to prevent any protruding teeth and align your upper and lower teeth.

This helps in stopping any grinding which gives you a better quality of life.

Moreover, it improves your bite as there is less pressure on your aligned teeth to chew food.

This in return prevents premature aging and wearing down of the enamel.

4. Straight Teeth Improves Speech

Crooked and overcrowded teeth are not the most ideal for speaking clearly.

They interfere with your speech and can cause your lisps or other speech impediments.

It is also possible that you take some coping mechanisms or measures to prevent your imperfect teeth from showing.

Therefore, your speech is not that clear.

Furthermore, if you lose teeth due to gum disease, periodontal disease or injury then that will likely disrupt your speech and its clarity.

All of this can cause you to lose confidence and not speak unhindered.

While over time you may get used to it, it is still better that you align your teeth to speak properly.

A lisp and being unable to speak properly can become embarrassing in public and professional settings.

However, straightening your teeth can solve your worry and stop any speech impediments while also building your confidence over time.

Speaking of confidence…

woman smiling brightly

 

5. Gives You a Bright Confident Smile

We cannot deny the effect of completely aligned teeth on your appearance.

Generally, teeth that are completely straight look much more healthy and appealing.

You look good and people feel that you take good care of your oral hygiene.

Though it is not an indication of your dental hygiene medically speaking, it still gives you a refined look.

This is why many people opt for the Hollywood smile.

However, one of the disadvantages of having crooked and misaligned teeth is the loss of confidence and lack of self-esteem.

Your self-esteem can take a hit if you are not confident in the way you look.

This can give birth to insecurities that will restrain you from smiling to your heart’s content.

You may always think about how do you look before you fully express yourself.

However, this doesn’t stop here. These rising insecurities can take a hit on your mental health.

You may soon become depressed and severely anxious in public situations and gatherings.

Therefore, it will affect both your personal and social life.

Hence, if your confidence and self-esteem are adversely affected then you should look for ways to straighten your teeth as these conditions are more severe than misaligned teeth.

After all, you have a right to smile brightly and confidently.

Other Health Benefits

  • If your teeth are straight, then you clean it properly. This restrains harmful bacteria that can lead to infection. This infection doesn’t stop in the gum tissue but can spread from the blood to the rest of the body posing a risk of heart attack, other heart diseases and stroke.
  • They sustain injuries better and you are less likely to break a tooth in the case of an injury.
  • It is easier to clean teeth hence, it is easier to prevent cavities and decay. You can save a lot of money on getting expensive dental procedures if you have aligned teeth because you will clean them properly.
  • If you need to replace your broken teeth with implants then straightening your teeth will help provide enough space for it.
  • People with crooked teeth might also suffer from sleep apnea. It improves sleeping as it opens airways. Therefore, you can breathe and sleep properly.
  • Aligned teeth can last longer whereas crooked teeth can fall quickly.
  • It is easier o maintain your oral hygiene when your teeth are straight.

Now that you know the benefits of aligned teeth let’s have a look at the ways to get them.

woman with retainers and aligners

 

How to Get Straight Teeth?

You can get straight teeth braces and straight teeth retainers to align them.

You can get these treatments if you have crowding, spacing, crossbite, underbite, overbite, misplaced midline and open bite.

Ways to straighten your teeth include:

Braces and Retainers

One of the traditional methods is to use braces for aligning your teeth.

You can get traditional metal teeth braces or modern lingual or ceramic braces.

Lingual braces apply at the back of your teeth while ceramic braces have transparent brackets that don’t show.

They will all work to align your teeth in a period of one to two years.

However, after you are done with braces, you will require to wear teeth retainer for another year or for longer.

Retainers are also of three kinds, fixed and removable (including Hawley and clear plastic retainers).

You can choose to have fixed retainers or removable ones.

After your procedure is complete you can welcome aligned teeth.

Invisalign 

You can also choose to go for aligners such as Invisalign.

These are removable aligners similar to how retainers look.

However, they help align and straight your teeth rather than keeping them in their position as retainers do.

An Invisalign and aligners procedure will also take you about a year or two.

Dental Implants 

If you have any missing teeth then you should get dental implants.

However, even before implants, you will require to straighten your teeth to make space for the implant.

Hence, you will require braces, retainers or aligners to first straighten your teeth and give you a beautiful smile through implants.

lady with a straight teeth smile

 

Finally, 

Having straight teeth will raise your self-esteem and confidence.

Moreover, they also keep you overall healthy and fit.

Hence, do not forsake your wellbeing any longer and consult your dentist for a suitable procedure.