Braces are a common orthodontic treatment for teenagers. In the United States alone, 3.5 million children and teens start to wear braces every year. While getting braces can be a big decision, it can significantly benefit your oral health and overall well-being.
In this blog post, we’ll explore five reasons why getting braces as a teenager may be a wise choice, from improving your bite to boosting your confidence. So, whether you’re considering braces for the first time or looking for more information on the benefits of orthodontic treatment, keep reading to learn more.
What are braces for?
Braces are dental appliances used to align teeth that are crowded, crooked, or out of place. Braces gradually straighten and align your teeth to have a normal bite as you wear them over time. This is also used to improve one’s smile.
Why do I need braces?
If you have one or more of these conditions, you may consider wearing braces:
Overbite
Overbite is an instance wherein your lower teeth usually bite into your lower lip or when you can’t see your lower teeth anymore when you smile. If you think you resemble the teeth of the famous Bugs Bunny, you may suffer from an overbite.
Underbite
Underbite is the opposite of an overbite. It’s when your lower teeth are more protruded than your upper teeth. If your lower teeth overlap with your top front teeth when you smile, you may have an underbite.
Open Bite
An open bite is an instance wherein your upper teeth and lower teeth do not touch when you smile. If you have an open bite, you may also have a difficult time speaking or eating, or worse, develop the habit of tongue thrusting.
Spacing
Are there gaps in between your teeth when you smile? While this is rather a cosmetic issue, having huge gaps between your teeth can lead to a lot of stuck food particles between your teeth, or worse, missing teeth.
Crowding
Crowding occurs when there is no more space for new teeth to grow since your mouth is already filled with teeth, and it doesn’t fit anymore. When left untreated, new teeth will grow in the wrong places, and you don’t want that to happen, right?
Reasons to get braces while you’re still a teenager
Your jaws are more malleable since you’re still young.
The most ideal time to get braces is during your teenage years. This is because your baby teeth are already gone, and your adult teeth have just grown. You still have a soft jawbone tissue that makes it more malleable. It means that your teeth are easier to be repositioned. Although you can still wear braces as an adult, it’ll be harder for it to be treated since it’s not as malleable as it was before anymore.
Braces can improve confidence.
As teenagers, we tend to become self-conscious about how we look, and that’s completely normal. With a perfect smile, you don’t have to worry about having crooked teeth. Having braces as a teenager means that the treatment will be shorter and that you’ll have a smile that you’ll be confident of afterward. Don’t worry about that short period of time wearing braces because you can customize it with multi-colored bands that you can personalize! If you’re not a fan of the look of regular braces, you can always consider Invisalign.
Braces will improve your oral hygiene habits.
Braces should always be cleaned and taken care of, and there are ways to keep your teeth white and healthy while on braces. Having braces is a responsibility, and after years of practicing good oral hygiene on maintaining these braces, you’ll be able to retain these habits even after your braces have already been removed.
Braces improve your oral health.
Wearing braces is not just an aesthetic procedure, but an orthodontic tool that improves your teeth. With braces, the amount of food particles that remain on your teeth is lessened, and that makes it easier for you to brush and floss.
Braces can avoid future health problems.
A misaligned bite can aggravate teeth grinding or worsen temporomandibular joint issues. Food fragments stuck in the spaces between crooked teeth can harm the gums and cause gum disease. It also lessens the probability of getting cavities. Moreover, severe wear and tear from misaligned teeth can result in fissures in the jaw and teeth.
Having straight and aligned teeth lessen the number of visits that you have to go to a dental clinic because of tooth pain, and who wouldn’t want that, right?
Book an appointment now!
Getting braces as a teenager can have significant benefits for your oral health and overall well-being. From correcting bite issues to improving the appearance of your smile, orthodontic treatment can provide lifelong benefits. If you’re considering braces, it’s important to choose an experienced orthodontist who can help you achieve the best possible results.
At Kumra Orthodontics, a trusted orthodontist in Washington, D.C., their team is committed to providing exceptional care and utilizing the latest techniques to help you achieve a healthy, beautiful smile. So, don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation and take the first step towards a brighter future with braces.
