|  | Dental Health | Braces

Reasons to Get Braces

Dental braces are used by orthodontists to help align or straighten teeth, or to help align the jaw. The most recent statistics indicate that in the U.S., about four million patients under the age of 18 are undergoing orthodontic treatment. One in five orthodontic patients are adults.

  1. Misaligned Teeth

    • One of the main reasons to get braces is to straighten teeth. Misaligned and crooked teeth are common and can cause a multitude of issues from difficulty chewing to speech problems. Also, food may get trapped between the teeth and cause plaque and bad breath.

    Jaw Misalignment

    • If the jaw is misaligned, then the bite is off. This can cause an overbite, which occurs when the upper jaw is too far forward, or an underbite, which happens when the bottom teeth are too far forward. Because the teeth do not always meet correctly, there can be problems with chewing food. This can also lead to more serious problems like jaw tension and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). TMJ is caused by inflammation in the joints of the jaw. Wearing braces fixes the misalignment and may help to relieve TMJ pain.

    Speech Impediment

    • A speech impediment, which is a disorder of speech, causes certain sounds to be distorted. Some lisps can be caused by dental problems, such as gaps between the front teeth that cause the tongue to protrude through the gap. This produces a "th" sound when an "s" or "z" is intended. Braces may fix the gap and -- along with speech therapy -- correct the impediment.

    Cosmetic Reasons

    • Some people choose to get braces even if they're not necessary because they feel braces will improve their smiles or straigthen their teeth.

Braces - Related Articles