What are the benefits of straight teeth?

Society tells us that straight teeth are pretty and desirable.  But that is not the only reason to have your teeth straightened.  In fact, that is only one benefit of straight teeth.  Let’s discuss some of the benefits to straight teeth.

Straight teeth have minimal overlaps with their neighbouring teeth which makes them easier to clean.  Teeth that are easier to clean tend to get less plaque built up on them which in turn helps prevent cavities and gingivitis from forming.  By being easier to clean, this means that with less effort from you, you will have less dental problems over your lifetime.  And who wouldn’t want less dental work done.

Another reason that dentists recommend having teeth straightened is to realign the bite forces.  Teeth are made to bite together in a certain way and when they are tipped, rotated or crowded, they cannot bite together properly.  This causes unnecessary chipping, breaking and wearing of those teeth over time.  This can then lead to increased sensitivity, shorter teeth or the need for fillings or crowns to repair the lost tooth structure.  By realigning the teeth so that they bite together properly, you decrease the wearing of your teeth which helps keep them strong and healthy.

Finally we come to the cosmetic benefits.  This is the obvious one.  Our society values straight teeth as esthetically pleasing.  Unfortunately for some, the societal pressures placed on us can be detrimental to our self esteem.  We do not believe that everyone needs perfectly straight teeth to be healthy.  There are a lot of mouths that we see that do not have perfectly straight teeth but are functional and healthy.  We only recommend orthodontic treatments to straighten teeth when we see a problem that is developing or when the patient themselves expresses a concern about the look of their smile.  If a patient let’s us know that they would like to have their teeth straightened, we are more than happy to help get them there.  But if they don’t mention it and we do not foresee any damage happening, we will leave well enough alone too.  Every situation is unique and that is why we treat all of our patients based upon what they need.