When making your New Year’s Resolutions this year, don’t forget to add orthodontic treatment to your list of to do’s. Healthy smiles encourage you to smile more. They boost your confidence, improve your speech, eliminate teeth and jaw issues, safeguard your mouth (and body) from the dangers of tooth decay and preserve the longevity of your natural teeth. Committing to orthodontic treatment will give you results you can keep on enjoying day after day, year after year. Our Hardy Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics team are ready to help you have the best year ever and answer any questions you may have about your treatment options!
One of the first things people notice about you is your smile. How you share it and how often you share it communicates so much about you, your energy, your confidence, and how you respect yourself through proper self care. Treating orthodontic issues with top-priority status will help you eliminate fears or insecurities you have been living with, freeing you to share your smile with everyone you come in contact with.
Dental malocclusion is defined by teeth not being properly aligned. These misalignments can greatly impact your ability to say and form words correctly. Teeth are designed to fit together in a balanced way to support efficient and correct speech patterns. Dental malocclusion impacts your speech patterns because it affects the placement of your tongue making it difficult to pronounce certain alveolar sounds like n, d, and t. Dental malocclusion is usually obvious because teeth will visually be misaligned or imbalanced, but you can also feel when your bite is not fitting together properly. Dr. Hardy can assess the severity of your dental malocclusion during an office visit. Orthodontic treatment corrects your dental malocclusion allowing your tongue and teeth to work together properly and improve your speech.
Orthodontic treatment isn’t just for straightening your teeth, but for addressing common problems associated with them. Orthodontic treatment also works to improve how your teeth work and how they look. Distributing your biting pressure evenly over your jaw joints, teeth and surfaces can help prevent complicated issues and discomfort. Teeth that collide when you chew or close your mouth can send jarring sensations throughout your jaw and face and cause real damage. Teeth can be chipped or injured from these collisions. Jaws that are repeatedly asked to sustain irregular forces suffer and can cause you long-term problems. Orthodontic treatment eliminates these issues and gives you with the results you need to safeguard your smile and long-term health.
Orthodontics treat teeth that are overcrowded. Teeth that are overcrowded entrap food and are harder to clean. Plaque builds up between your teeth because it is easier to trap and harder to remove. This plaque eats away at your enamel causing cavities to form. Cavities in between your teeth are harder to see and treat, and often only detected when they have become big problems. A weakened, decaying tooth can also affect the adjacent teeth causing a ripple effect of problems throughout your mouth. Plaque build-up also affects the health of your gums and can lead to gum disease. By addressing the overcrowding issues, you make it harder for plaque and cavities to form in between your teeth and preserve the health of your gums and mouth.
Orthodontic treatment helps you to preserve your natural teeth over the course of your life. Orthodontic treatment protects your teeth from tooth decay, gingivitis and periodontal disease–all of which can destroy the fabric of your teeth and cause early breakdown and sometimes ultimate removal of your natural teeth. Orthodontic treatment also promotes healthy alignment of teeth so that they don’t erode irregularly or sustain unnatural pressures that can cause them to weaken.
Orthodontic treatment is not just pursued for cosmetic reasons as many perceive. No, orthodontic treatment is essential for full oral and body wellness. Learn about your treatment options and how you can benefit today! If you have more questions about the types of treatment offered by Dr. Hardy at our Erie office, or would like to schedule a consultation, please contact our office today at 720-887-6003 to make an appointment.