Braces & Their Medical Benefits

Braces help to give teens and adults a smile that they can be proud of, but there’s a lot more to braces than a confidence boost. Braces also have a number of medical and health benefits. Below, we explore some of the medical benefits of braces to help shine a light on everything they can do for your health.

Little Known Benefits of Braces

Here’s a look at some of the lesser known benefits of braces, and why they are important for your health:

• Bite Improvement – Braces help to shift our teeth into their proper location, but this process also helps to improve our bite. If you have gaps in your teeth, it can inhibit your ability to properly break down food. More importantly, a misaligned bite pattern can actually become painful because your jaw has to work harder to chew, and this can lead to lockjaw, TMJ disorder or other stress-related jaw pain. Improving your bite is just one medical benefit associated with braces.
• Tooth Spacing – Tooth spacing has a cosmetic benefit, but it also has dental benefits. If your teeth are crowding in some spots, it can be difficult to get tooth bristles or floss between your teeth to remove plaque and tartar. When braces help to correct your tooth spacing, dental hygiene becomes easier, which reduces your risk of cavities and gum disease.
• Jaw Alignment – Braces can also help to adjust your jaw and palate alignment. This can help with issues like speech impediments and jaw pain.
• Sleep Quality – By shifting your teeth and realigning your jaw, braces can actually improve your sleep quality.  They can help to improve your breathing and in turn reduce your snoring habits, helping you get more uninterrupted sleep. This realignment can also improve our sinuses, which can help prevent both sinus and ear infections.

So while braces can help to give you a confident and beautiful smile, they bring a number of other health benefits to the table. If you still have concerns or have questions about which type of braces may be best for your situation, reach out to Dr. Brooks’ clinic today. We can help design and insert your braces to give you the smile you deserve. To learn more about our techniques and your options, give us a call today.