Silver Spring Dentists Explain the Benefits of Orthodontic Treatment, PART 1

This article explains the many benefits of seeking orthodontic treatment at an appropriate age. These benefits aren't only corrective in nature; they're also preventative.

Orthodontists are dental specialists who are skilled in the full suite of procedures and treatments designed to correct badly aligned jaws and bites, as well as the resultant problems. So, wherever there is a problem, ailment or defect concerning the oral cavity and maxillofacial skeleton, an orthodontist is the Silver Spring dentist to see!

Here are some of the benefits of undergoing orthodontic treatment:

• Orthodontic Treatment for Silver Spring Residents Can Improve Bite Function

By aligning the top and bottom jaws and by straightening crooked, overlapping and/or overcrowded teeth, orthodontic treatment improves the ease and comfort with which patients can eat. This not only has functional benefits, but it improves the distribution of pressure on the teeth, and therefore the amount of wear they have to sustain. Bad bites often result in the accelerated wear of teeth in a certain portion of the mouth, which can actually lead to their early decay and loss.

• Orthodontic Treatment for Silver Spring Residents Can Improve Oral Comfort

A better and more comfortable bite also relieves pressure on the muscles, tendons and joints controlling the movement of the lower jaw. "It's not uncommon for patients with malocclusions to experience temporomandibular joint disorders, chronic neck and headaches and general fatigue as a result of the selective strain on certain muscles in the face, jaw and neck," explain dentists in Silver Spring MD. "Treatment eases, if not eliminates these problems entirely."

• Orthodontic Treatment Can Give Silver Spring Residents a Healthier Mouth

By straightening crooked and overlapping teeth and by aligning the upper and lower jaws correctly, orthodontic treatment can eliminate potentially serious resulting problems, such as the uneven distribution of wear on the biting surfaces of the teeth. This is, according to Silver Spring dentists, something that can, without intervention, lead to fracturing, decay and the early loss of teeth that are forced to endure greater strain and wear than others. A well-occluding bite is a healthy bite and a healthy bite makes for a healthier mouth!

• Orthodontic Treatment Can Make it Easier for Silver Spring Residents to Maintain Good Oral Hygiene

Teeth that are crooked and overlap each other provide excellent refuge for bacteria and are more likely to trap food. They're also far more difficult to brush and floss, since the natural creases and gaps between them are so complex. According to dentists in Silver Spring MD, this is why orthodontic braces, which straighten the teeth, can actually help to lower one's risk of tooth decay resulting from poor oral hygiene. Crooked teeth are simply more difficult to keep clean, which highlights just one of the many benefits of orthodontic treatment.

• Orthodontic Treatment for Silver Spring Patients Can Greatly Improve Smile Aesthetics

Nothing can ruin a smile quite like a bad bite - overbite, underbite, cross-bite and open-bite - or crooked, overlapping teeth. A beautiful smile is one that has good symmetry and evenness. Orthodontic treatment can address all of the problems above, not only restoring a healthy bite, but also greatly improving the appearance of your smile.

• Orthodontic Treatment for Silver Spring Patients Can Improve Self-esteem and Confidence

As a result of the previous benefit discussed, patients can experience a tremendous increase in self-esteem and social confidence. This is especially true and important for younger patients who, should they receive earlier treatment, can enter into their teens with beautiful, symmetric teeth and well-aligned jaws. Having a comfortable well-occluded bite also helps confidence as it removes the distraction of sore, fatigued and strained facial, neck and jaw muscles.

• Elimination of Speech Problems and Difficulty Swallowing

Malocclusions can also be linked with speech impediments - such as lisps - and, in certain extreme cases, difficulty in swallowing. Orthodontic treatment can eliminate these problems, thus greatly improving a patient's overall quality of life.

• Orthodontic Treatment Can "Cure" Snoring and Sleep Disorders

Malocclusions or defects in the sinuses, nasal passages and maxillofacial skeleton can cause patients to sore or have sleep disorders like sleep apnea. It may sound surprising that the solutions to these problems lie in the hands of an orthodontist, but they frequently do!

A Final Note on Orthodontic Treatment

The prospect of orthodontic treatment can seem quite daunting for many patients. This is because the nature of treatment is either a waiting game, as is the case with braces, which require an average treatment time of one to two years and sometimes even longer. OR because treatment comes in the form of surgery, which is scary no matter how big or small the procedure is. What's important in either case is that you focus on the immense benefits of treatment as have been discussed here.