Dental treatments don’t have to be complicated or invasive. Some very simple orthodontics can drastically improve gum health and benefit your overall wellbeing.
Orthodontic treatments can:
- Straighten teeth and reduce dental crowding
- Correct your bite so pressure is spread evenly across your mouth
- Reduce the change of damaging any prominent or misaligned teeth
- Help improve gum health by reducing hard to brush areas
For the purposes of this blog post, let us concentrate on point four, reducing hard to brush areas.
Orthodontic treatment for gum health
Orthodontic treatment usually revolves around fixed or removable braces that help align teeth. Depending on your needs, we can either use fixed braces that are affixed to your teeth and gradually align teeth or use Invisalign removable aligners to achieve the same goal.
Fixed braces are the most common orthodontic appliance. They are fixed to teeth using a special dental cement. The tension of the brace helps to gradually move teeth so they become straighter. Treatment lasts for a few months depending on how much we need to align teeth.
Invisalign removable aligners are a recent treatment option that uses an appliance like a sports mouth guard. These sit snugly over teeth and encourage them to straighten over a period of months.
How does this help gum health?
If teeth are crowded into too small a space, are crooked or rotated, it makes them difficult to clean properly. We like straight teeth not just because they look great but because they are easier to look after. Straight teeth can be cleaned effectively with a good toothbrush, can be flossed thoroughly and generally looked after much easier.
Cleaning crooked teeth is difficult at best. Even the newest electric toothbrush cannot get into smaller spaces between crooked teeth or effectively clean rotated teeth. This gives bacteria room to live, grown and cause gum disease. That’s where orthodontics comes in.
By using either a fixed brace or Invisalign, we can straighten those teeth and reduce the chances of gum disease. Your teeth will be straight, the toothbrush will be able to clean and the floss will be able to reach all parts of the tooth. You also have the happy side effect of a fantastic smile too!
Invisalign has changed orthodontics for the better. Those who didn’t like the look of the fixed brace now have a very subtle alternative. A transparent aligner that is removable to help you when you eat and for special occasions. The rest of the time it sits inside the mouth gradually straightening teeth and helping reduce those spaces where bacteria can grow.
I may be biased, but as a holistic dentist, any procedure that involves no surgery and benefits the patient so much gets a thumbs up from me!
Visit Aesthetic Family Dentistry today to schedule a consultation.
