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LAST UPDATED: JUNE 28, 2017
Braces will align your child’s teeth, and while they may not love wearing them now, they will certainly love the benefits that come from having straight teeth. There are numerous positive advantages to fixing your child’s teeth when your child is young. Those benefits are both social and health related.
While having straight teeth is often thought of as a cosmetic or social issue, having crooked teeth can have an impact on the health and future well-being of your child. Before you dismiss it as being too expensive or a cosmetic issue, think about the impact crooked teeth will have on your child’s future. A beautiful smile is not a frivolous expense when it comes to your child’s future happiness. The orthodontist can help you find an option that works for your family.
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FAQ
Healthy Gums
When teeth are crooked or overlapping, it can be difficult to clean them properly. There’s no space for flossing. When children have a hard time flossing, they are at risk for more cavities over their lifetime. Some damaging plaque can cause gum disease. Oral hygiene is linked to periodontal disease, which can cause an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and high cholesterol. Not only will fixing crooked teeth give your child a straight, beautiful smile, it will set them up for a healthier life in the future.
Better Digestion
Your teeth play a major role in how food gets digested. Proper digestion begins with the teeth, which break down food before it enters the stomach. The process of chewing grinds food, but also prepares it further with enzymes in the mouth. When the teeth are out of alignment, they can’t grind food down effectively. This makes it difficult for the stomach, which has to make up for the lack of enzymes. When the teeth are straight, it’s easier for food to be chewed. There won’t be trouble digesting large chunks of food. The orthodontist can assess your child’s teeth and provide a treatment plan to straighten his or her teeth.
Speech Improvements
Between the lips, tongue and teeth, words are formed by controlling air flow and the tongue moving against the teeth to form certain sounds. When the teeth are out of alignment, it can cause speech problems such as a lisp or whistling when the person speaks. Children who become self-conscious about their speech problems can develop a stuttering problem, and they can start mispronouncing words. While the fix might cause further impediments to speech as the teeth are aligned, in the long run, proper alignment of the teeth will fix the speech problem entirely.
Bone Erosion
When there are no teeth to support the bone, the bone itself can start to erode. This can also be true for the gaps and spaces left by misaligned teeth. With a bad bite, the teeth that meet can be placing uneven pressure on the bone because they are not aligned correctly. Disorders like Temporomandibular joint can result when a person’s bite is unbalanced. TMJ can cause earaches, headaches, jaw pain and popping when chewing. Orthodontics will eliminate the spaces between teeth and create an even bite pattern.
Self Confidence and Self Esteem
Crooked teeth can become a serious problem when the person doesn’t want to interact with others. They won’t speak with confidence, and that can have a serious impact on social interactions. If your child’s teeth are not fixed when they’re younger, they will grow up fixated on their crooked teeth, which will undermine their happiness and sense of fulfillment. While they may think that becoming “brace face” or “wire mouth” will have a negative impact on their social life in junior high or high school, as a parent, you know that crooked teeth could impact the rest of their lives including the type of job they get and person they marry.
It’s unfortunate, but the level of a person’s attractiveness has an impact on whether he or she will get a job, receive a promotion or a pay raise. Researchers at Rice University, as reported by Business Insider, conducted a study on beauty and its impact on professional success. The study was limited to how facial appearance influences a job interview. According to Juan Madera, who was a co-author of the study, interviewers were distracted by facial features and remembered less about the content of the interview. They didn’t react favorably to those candidates, and it led to a decrease in ratings for those candidates. With orthodontics, you’re setting your child on a road to financial and career success.
Contact Dr. Tisseront at Tisseront Orthodontics for a consultation to find out the best way to treat your child’s crooked teeth, and learn about the type of orthodontics that can lessen the impact on your child’s social development. There are braces that can be placed behind the teeth, invisible ones and other types of orthodontics for your son or daughter.
