Straight teeth make you feel more confident, self-assured, and appealing, without a doubt. But did you know that having straight teeth has health benefits that have nothing to do with a nice smile? Correcting crooked and crowded teeth, according to the American Dental Association, can result in better oral health because those teeth can make everyday oral care harder.

This can lead to tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth loss over time. Furthermore, an incorrect bite can cause problems with chewing and speaking, as well as abnormal wear on tooth enamel and jaw disorders.

Straight Teeth=Better Overall Health

It’s not all about appearances! With aesthetics out of the picture, here are several ways that straight teeth can help a patient’s general health, courtesy of a renowned orthodontist, Dr. Crosby.

Simply put, teeth that are straight are easier to clean. Brushing properly and getting all those nooks and crannies with floss is difficult with crooked and crowded teeth. When food gets stuck where the sun doesn’t shine, unpleasant germs can thrive, resulting in swollen gums, poor breath, cavities, and possibly illness.

The proper fit of the teeth will help to maintain the health of the gums and jaw joints. “We could only straighten the teeth with braces in the past,” Dr. Crosby says. It’s ironic that the braces procedure we employed to improve your dental health actually led to your poor health. It’s common for your gums to swell at the end of braces treatment, and white patches or rot can occur. This isn’t the case with Invisalign.” Hmmm, that seems like a no-brainer to us!

Oral Infections and Serious Illness

Consider this before assuming that poor oral hygiene is the only issue: mouth infections can lead to more serious ailments like heart disease, stroke, pneumonia, and diabetes.

In a word, any form of mouth infection is systemic, which means it can spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body. In fact, oral infections have been linked to heart valve disorders.

Infective endocarditis (IE), also known as bacterial endocarditis (BE), is an infection caused by bacteria that enters the bloodstream and settles in the heart lining, a heart valve, or a blood vessel, according to the American Heart Association. Bacteria can enter the circulation through even the most commonplace of activities, such as tooth brushing, which causes mild harm to the mouth’s lining or gums. It can potentially get in through a gum infection that hasn’t been adequately treated.

Whatever the source, those pesky little critters can wreak havoc on heart valves and lead to endocarditis. People with poor dental health or who bleed when brushing have a higher risk of getting germs in their blood, according to a new study.

Yes, mouth infections can cause significant illness, infection, systemic difficulties, and even death in severe circumstances if your body is not strong enough to fight them off.

Why don’t you just get invisible braces, straighten your teeth, and avoid all those health problems? That’s a great idea!

The Easy Sell

Unfortunately, many Invisalign providers make the simple pitch: clear aligners give you a beautiful smile! You’ll fall in love with yourself all over again! You can now take a confident photograph! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes All of these features are included in the Invisalign treatment. But that isn’t the only factor. If you’ve looked at Invisalign in Dallas, you’re aware of this. You’ve seen the commercials and heard about the advantages of having straight teeth.

So why do most Invisalign providers emphasize the cosmetic benefits of straighter teeth over the overall health benefits of straighter teeth? According to Dr. Crosby, they concentrate on aesthetics because most patients seek treatment because of their appearance. “We have a lot of customers who haven’t seen a dentist in years and come to us to get their teeth straightened.” Fortunately, we have a good relationship with the dentists in our area. As we straighten the teeth, we’re reintroducing our patients to the world of dentistry, where they may have their teeth cleaned and checked.”