Straight Teeth Are Healthy Teeth: Why Alignment Matters

Everyone loves straight teeth and a white, bright smile. But there’s more to teeth straightening than cosmetics. Straighter teeth can mean a healthier mouth. 

Misaligned or crooked teeth can negatively influence your dental health in several ways. And when your oral health declines, your overall health suffers. For example, recent studies demonstrate a high correlation between poor dental health and diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and dementia. 

At Chester Family Dentistry in Warren, Ohio, Ana Chester, DDS, Amy Caicco, DDS, and our skilled care team work hard to keep you and your teeth healthy. We offer multiple services to correct dental problems, including straightening crooked and misaligned teeth.

Benefits of straight teeth

Millions of adults, teens, and children have improved their health by having their teeth and their bites corrected through teeth straightening. Here’s a closer look at why teeth alignment matters to your overall oral health:

1. Say goodbye to bad bacteria

Overcrowded teeth or teeth that have moved or twisted out of place create hiding places for bad bacteria. The added crevices, pockets, and corners formed by misaligned teeth are hard to reach and keep clean, allowing decay-causing bacteria to take hold. This leads to erosion of your dental structures, increasing your risk for cavities, tooth decay, bad breath, and more.

2. Get a handle on gum disease

Misaligned teeth affect your bite, creating a higher risk of injury to your gums. Depending on the nature of your misalignment, it can even affect your cheeks and tongue. The result? An increased risk of gum disease, which affects at least 85% of American adults.

3. Prevent painful TMJ/TMD, grinding, and more

When your teeth don’t line up as they should, it can cause problems in your temporomandibular joints leading to temporomandibular disorders, frequently referred to as TMJ disorders or TMD. TMD often leads to pain (including in the neck), trouble eating and chewing, and headaches. A crooked bite also can lead to teeth grinding or clenching.

4. Stop uneven dental wear

When your teeth are misaligned, some teeth are doing an uneven share of the work. This leads to uneven wear, creating an increased risk of tooth damage, like chipping, cracking, breaking, and even tooth loss. 

5. Lower your risk of dental emergencies

Underbites, overbites, and teeth that stick out are at higher risk of injury because they’re less stable. Straightening your teeth helps ensure your teeth are more secure and unlikely to move in the mouth as easily, lowering your risk of having a dental emergency.

Is there help for my misaligned teeth?

Innovations in dental science make straightening your teeth easier than ever. At Chester Family Dentistry, Dr. Chester and Dr. Chaicco use MTM® Clear Aligner and ClearCorrect aligners for adults and teens. 

These teeth-straightening systems are virtually invisible but give you the same results as braces, gently moving your teeth into their proper position. What’s more, the aligners are removable, making it easy to eat, drink, and maintain your oral hygiene routine while you fix your alignment.

Don’t let misaligned teeth impact your health

The team at Chester Family Dentistry makes straightening your teeth to improve your oral health easy. To get started, call our office today and set up your free consultation.