Straight Teeth Are Healthy Teeth: Why Alignment Matters

If you think misaligned teeth are purely a cosmetic problem, think again. Having straight teeth isn’t just about showing off your beautiful smile. There are real health benefits, too.

Making sure your teeth are properly aligned helps keep them healthy and helps prevent future problems. For one, straight teeth are easier to clean and therefore less prone to decay and gum disease. That means you’re less likely to need expensive procedures like root canals, implants or gum surgery in the future.

But what causes teeth to be crooked in the first place? And what other issues can be fixed just by straightening your teeth?

What causes misaligned teeth?

Misaligned teeth are caused by a variety of factors. If one of your jaws is smaller than the other, it results in an underbite or overbite. Crooked teeth can often happen when your mouth is too small for your teeth. These are genetic traits that you inherit. 

Other causes for misaligned teeth include:

• Losing your teeth early
• Gum disease
• Injury 
• Tumors 

In children, misalignment of the teeth can also result from thumb-sucking and from using a bottle or pacifier for too long. 

But these problems can all be corrected. George Saliba, DDS, and his team at GEMS Dental in Houston, Texas, provide expert care that restores your smile and protects the longevity of your teeth.

What’s the big deal if my teeth are a little crooked?

Everyone loves a beautiful smile, but having straight teeth is also important for your health. If your teeth are out of alignment, brushing and flossing them properly is difficult. That means you’re more likely to have decay and gum disease. Furthermore, with proper alignment, teeth will function better, wear evenly with less chances of fractures, and improving their longevity with less issues over time. 

Along with the more obvious problems, like cavities, misaligned teeth sometimes cause headaches, earaches, and difficulties with speech. 

Your teeth function best when they meet properly; chewing and biting are harder to do when your teeth aren’t aligned. With crooked teeth, your jaws are strained, so problems like TMJ can develop or become worse.

In the long-term, misaligned teeth are more likely to break. The higher risk of decay means you’re also more likely to lose teeth or need extensive treatments, like root canals, in the future. 

Aligning your teeth is a smart investment 

Aligning your teeth can seem pretty expensive. Maybe you’ve chosen not to correct the alignment of your teeth because you thought it only impacted your appearance, and that wasn’t enough to justify the cost. However, aligning your teeth is a smart investment for your health.

Investing in your smile now means you’re less likely to suffer from many possible dental problems in the future and less likely to need expensive procedures to fix them. 

The cost of straightening your teeth is small compared to the cost of correcting and repairing problems caused by misalignment in the future. 

Invisalign: not your grandparents’ braces

Braces have been around for a long time. Until the 1970s, braces went all the way around the tooth. Now, thankfully, newer materials and technology give us braces and aligners that are more comfortable and require fewer adjustments than ever before.

If you don’t want to wear traditional braces, Dr. Saliba offers Invisalign. Invisalign gently moves your teeth with a series of transparent, BPA-free, medical-grade aligners. 

Since Invisalign aligners are nearly invisible, you can correct your smile without anyone knowing. You also remove the aligners to eat and brush your teeth, which you cannot do with traditional braces. 

Are you ready to correct your smile and protect the health of your teeth in the future? Here at GEMS Dental, we treat patients of all ages. Whether you’re thinking of orthodontic treatment for you or for your child, we have a solution that fits. 

Dr. Saliba prides himself on using the best and latest technology and believes all patients should be treated with compassion and dignity. Call our office today or use the booking tool to request an appointment online for an Invisalign consultation.