Crooked teeth can get in the way of a confident smile, but beyond compromising your cosmetic goals and self-esteem, misaligned teeth can also damage your health in more ways than one. It’s easy to lump your oral concerns as an aesthetic and speech problem at most, but your teeth’ health can extend to other aspects of your overall wellness, one that impacts parts you never knew would be related to poor dental hygiene!
The more obvious route is when misaligned teeth exacerbate crowding, crossbite, overbite, underbite, and open bite, but how else do your awkward gaps and crooked smile affect your health? We’re here to explore some of the consequences of orthodontic problems, so you can find ways to treat them sooner than later.
Health Problems Caused by Crooked Teeth
1. Gum Disease
Misaligned teeth are tricky to keep clean since there are a lot more crevices that are hard to reach, leaving more room for food particles and disease-causing bacteria to hide inconspicuously. Once your mouth turns into a breeding ground for these germs, they can quickly break down your tooth enamel and gum tissue, paving the way for a graver condition: gum disease.
Gum disease is treatable when you seek dental attention immediately, but when left unattended, it can completely destroy your teeth and even the bone that supports them. In addition to losing your bone structure, letting gum disease worsen can also exacerbate health complications like stroke, diabetes, and even heart disease!
2. Tooth Decay and Tooth Loss
Since crooked teeth are hard to clean, it’s also vulnerable to cavities that can quickly result in tooth decay without proper treatment. When your teeth rot to an unsalvageable point, it leads to tooth loss, which deals more than a blow to your image.
Beyond cosmetic concerns, losing your teeth is a painful problem that can also trigger other health issues like jaw bone deterioration, gum disease, speech problems, and even eating! After all, your teeth play an integral part in providing the right structure for speech and eating, so losing them can invite
3. Chronic Headaches
Aside from bone structural problems, misaligned teeth can also contribute to your chronic headache due to your teeth grinding painfully against each other. This is because the friction can take a toll on your jaw, and once there’s too much pressure, it leads to a throbbing headache.
The Bottom Line: The Importance of Treating Misaligned Teeth
Crooked teeth not only look unsightly, but they can also invite a host of health problems when left untreated. The issues it deals with on your health can be disruptive and destructive in various ways; that’s why taking the necessary orthodontic treatment to fix your crooked smile is more important than meets the eye!
Why Choose Us?
Looking to bring back the confidence behind your smile? Our qualified and reliable local dentists in Waterford, MI, USA can help improve your dental health with our multifaceted services. Get in touch with us today for a free consultation!