The term orthodontics tends to bring about thoughts of braces and teeth straightening. However, there are many benefits when it comes to straightening teeth besides the obvious of obtaining a beautiful smile. Did you know that orthodontic treatment can give your immune system a boost? They perform a multitude of treatments to enhance your periodontal health.

Look at Orthodontics as a Preventative Form of Medicine

Orthodontists do more than just straighten teeth. In fact, it is a good idea to look at their services as a preventative form of medicine. The benefits of their care are measured differently from patient to patient. Overall, the care given by an orthodontist simply improves your health. Five beneficial reasons to visit a Spokane orthodontist are listed below.

1. No More Halitosis Breath

Have you been told that your breath stinks? Battling mouth odor, also known as halitosis breath, can be completely avoided. When teeth are not properly aligned, food particles can become lodged and lead to bad breath, plaque, and cavities. Crooked teeth compromise your breath and your health. Save yourself the stress and visit with orthodontists that can treat the problem before it becomes a more serious and risky oral disease.

2. Crooked Teeth Cause Bad Digestion

Did you know that your teeth play a vital role in digestion? Before food gets to your stomach, it is partially digested by your teeth. If your teeth are severely crooked, they might not be breaking food down effectively while chewing. This is especially true as you grow older. Have an orthodontist check your teeth for proper alignment.

Braces for adults are an option to straighten teeth that have shifted over time. Optimal alignment is necessary for healthy chewing and eating. When you are able to chew properly with straightened teeth, food has the ability to be better and fully digested. A beautiful smile can actually make your stomach feel better.

3. Misaligned Teeth Make It Difficult to Speak Clearly

Teeth have an essential role in speaking. If teeth lean too far backward or forward or are out of line, speech patterns are affected. This can be a very frustrating and embarrassing problem. The position of teeth needs to be adjusted to allow for clearer speech.

Orthodontists can apply braces to gently shift teeth causing speech impediments. When an underbite or overbite is adjusted, certain words can be more distinctly pronounced. Word slurring can also be corrected by realigning teeth and jaws to open more room for the tongue to move with ease.

4. Jaw Problems Are Frustrating

Do you hear a loud clicking sound in your head when you open your mouth or chew sometimes? Does it hurt your jaw to open and close your mouth? Perhaps you experience sleep apnea or migraines. All of those problems can be associated with your jaws.

Painful jaw conditions can be relieved by orthodontists. They know how to treat jaw problems and restore them to normal so you no longer have movement or chewing problems. Having jaw complications treated tends to be simple and non-invasive.

5. Bone Erosion Can Be a Real Problem

When there aren’t any teeth to support your oral bone structure, gum tissue and bone will erode. This is also the case for crooked teeth with spaces and gaps. The empty area puts more pressure on the jawbone due to a bad bite. In this case, braces can prevent erosion damage by gently shifting teeth overtime to fill spaces and gaps to fix a terrible bite.

Schedule a Consultation Soon

Orthodontists put a lot of hard work into their practice. It typically takes over 10 years for a person to become a certified orthodontist. In that amount of time, they have learned everything there is to know about how teeth affect health. They also invest in continuing their orthodontic education to include the use of innovative technology and methods to keep your teeth and gums in great condition.