Top 4 Signs That You Need Braces

Contrary to popular belief, completely white and even teeth aren’t a sign of beauty. While you should embrace your looks and smile, if your teeth aren’t naturally straight, you can suffer from some medical issues down the line. This includes jaw soreness, fractured teeth, gum disease, halitosis (perpetual bad breath) and a decrease in overall oral health. Here are some signs that you need braces:

1. Crowded or Crooked Teeth

Also known as malocclusions, crowded or crooked teeth veer sideways or overlap one another or protrude compared to the teeth next to them. This is one of the most common reasons why most people get braces but the condition may not be apparent at first.

To determine whether you have crooked teeth, use dental floss and see if it slides between each tooth easily or not. If you can, that means you probably don’t need braces but if the string breaks, chances are your teeth are too close together.

2. You Lose Baby Teeth Earlier Than Your Permanent Ones

You should lose your baby teeth around the age of 6 but if you don’t they will affect how your permanent teeth are affected. The former can make the latter come in crooked and cause overcrowding, making chewing impossible.

Plus, at this point, your permanent teeth may not have grown properly but this is nothing that a good pair of braces cannot fix.

3. Irregular Bite

Normal teeth fit together when we bite down. However, if you see a significant gap between your upper and lower ones, or they protrude past the others, you have a bite problem. Here are some bite issues that can be corrected with braces:

  • Upper teeth are positioned incorrectly inside the lower ones.
  • The lower teeth protrude past the upper ones.
  • Your lower teeth don’t touch your upper front teeth leaving a small space.
  • Your upper teeth protrude past your lower ones to the point that the latter is barely visible.

4. Excessive Gap Between Teeth and Shifting Jaw

If you have a large gap between your teeth, you can end up losing a tooth, have difficulty eating and suffer from other jaw and bite issues. Known as diastema, this dental issue is typically hereditary but it can also result from obsessive childhood thumb-sucking and tooth loss. If the gap gets bigger, it could end up compromising jaw functionality.

Similarly, a shifting jaw position can cause your teeth to shift on one another which can be caused due to a problem in the jawline. If either of these issues is accompanied by pain, you should seriously consider getting braces before these oral health concerns get worse.

What You Should Consider Before Getting Braces

Whether you are getting braces to fix your smile or as a prelude to teeth whitening, there are some facts you should consider beforehand that does not involve your teeth:

You Can Get Braces at Any Age

Contrary to popular belief, you can get braces at ANY age not just when you are a kid or a teenager. Of course, your teeth and gums have to be strong enough to withstand the pressure a wired setup will exert as it pulls your jaw into alignment.

If, for instance, you have poor dental hygiene, chances are your orthodontist will first ask you to improve it and make your teeth stronger before recommending braces. If you are worried about how those will make you look, you can always go for the invisible variety.

Braces Don’t Just Straighten Teeth

Contrary to popular belief, braces don’t just straighten teeth even though they are primarily used for cosmetic purposes. The first thing that your orthodontist will do when you go in for a consultation is to check your mouth and ask you about other health concerns you may have.

Some of the questions you may be asked are:

  • Whether you feel pain in your jaw bone
  • If your gums bleed when you brush
  • Whether you feel if your teeth are loose in their sockets.

The answers will help them determine the types of braces you need and if you are suffering from any underlying dental issues.

A Regular Teeth Brushing Regime Will Be Essential

Even though your braces will make brushing a bit difficult that is no excuse for skipping it altogether. Once they are in place, you must ensure the teeth they are covering are cleaned as thoroughly as possible.

If you travel a lot, make sure you have a kit with you so that you can keep your breath fresh (which will start to smell a lot because of the braces) and ensure your shifting teeth are always clean.

Maintain Optimal Oral Healthcare with Denticare Smart Sonic Toothbrush

The Denticare Smart Sonic Toothbrush by Qutek London is designed to be your ultimate dental companion whether at home or on the go. Boasting soft bristles, several brushing modes, and a smart, intuitive app, the smart sonic toothbrush can help you improve your brushing technique with 360° degree coverage. The app will let you know about the areas you miss while you brushed. So, you can go back and clean them thoroughly.

The smart toothbrush is compatible with both iOS and Android devices and comes with several amazing features. This includes:

  • a smart timer that can be set for 2 minutes for brushing efficiency,
  • 32 clusters of antibacterial bristles, and
  • 5 modes that can meet all of your dental needs.

Like all of Quteks health and wellness products, the Denticare Smart Sonic Toothbrush is also ROHS, CE, and FDA-certified so you can brush every day without worry. Order a set for each family member today!