Now that flowers are starting to bloom and April is here, our team at West Family Orthodontics is welcoming spring and celebrating Oral Health Awareness month! This month serves as a reminder of the important connection between our oral health and our overall wellness. Beyond just a radiant smile, proper oral hygiene and orthodontic care play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy and happy lifestyle. Let’s dive deeper into the link between oral health and overall wellness with the help of Dr. West.
The Connection Between Oral Health and Overall Wellness:
Our mouths play several vital roles allowing us to communicate, take in sustenance, and perform life-giving tasks like breathing. Because the mouth serves so many purposes, it is extremely important for us to keep our teeth, gums, and jaws healthy. Numerous studies have highlighted the intricate relationship between oral health and systemic health conditions. For example, in 2012, the American Heart Association shared an article linking diseases like gum disease to cardiovascular disease. Misaligned teeth can directly alter your ability to chew, which can lead to digestion issues, TMJ pain, headaches, and even respiratory problems. Most of us know that poor oral hygiene can lead to various dental issues like cavities, gum disease, and tooth decay, but each of these repercussions can extend past oral health issues into more systematic issues, and that’s why proper dental hygiene and orthodontic care from Dr. West are crucial to your overall health.
Orthodontics: How Do Straight Teeth Affect Your Health?
Most of our patients at West Family Orthodontics decide to come in for treatment because they want a straighter, more aesthetically pleasing smile. But orthodontic treatment goes well beyond cosmetics. It plays a crucial role in promoting oral health and preventing a myriad of dental issues. Here’s how orthodontics contributes to oral health:
Alignment and Bite Correction: At West Family Orthodontics, our expert team provides each of our patients with custom treatment orthodontic treatment plans to fix misalignments and to correct bite issues. Dr. West can use either braces or clear aligners to align your teeth and jaws, promoting a beautiful and healthy smile. Misaligned teeth are actually much harder to keep clean. Little nooks and crannies in between crooked teeth serve as the perfect hiding spot for plaque and bacteria. Hidden plaque can lead to cavities and gum disease, and as the AHA study mentioned, gum disease can even lead to serious systemic complications.
If you complete your treatment with our office, you can improve your oral health and significantly reduce your risk of developing cavities and gum disease, and in turn, reduce your risk of developing more severe health complications like cardiovascular disease.
Improved Oral Hygiene: Straight, properly aligned teeth and jaws can actually help you improve your overall oral hygiene. Braces and clear aligner treatments both create the proper amount of space between teeth, allowing improved accessibility for brushing and flossing, and enhancing your oral hygiene practices. By maintaining good oral hygiene habits, patients can prevent tooth decay, gum inflammation, and other oral health issues.
Prevention of Dental Complications: Misaligned teeth and jaws can lead to dental complications such as uneven tooth wear, jaw pain, oral trauma, halitosis, and difficulty chewing or speaking. When you allow Dr. West to create a unique treatment plan for you, you are proactively reducing your odds of experiencing any of these unwanted dental complications. Addressing issues like overcrowding, spacing issues, overbites, underbites, crossbites, and open bites early on can keep your teeth, and your overall health, optimal.
Enhanced Confidence and Self-Esteem: Our team at West Family Orthodontics wants to ensure you have a healthy smile, but we know that the physical benefits of orthodontic treatment can also have a profound impact on our patients’ psychological well-being. A confident smile can boost self-esteem, improve social interactions, and positively influence overall mental health.
As April continues, let’s celebrate Oral Health Awareness Month by recognizing the role orthodontics plays in promoting oral health and overall wellness. By prioritizing proper orthodontic care, our patients can enjoy all the benefits of a healthy smile while simultaneously prioritizing their systemic health. Remember, a healthy mouth contributes to a healthier you! Call our office today at 517-507-3001 to schedule your complimentary consultation. We are thrilled to embark on a journey to oral health and overall wellness with you!
