5 Oral Health Advantages of Investing in Invisalign Braces

5 Oral Health Advantages of Investing in Invisalign Braces

Here are Five Oral Health Advantages of Investing in Invisalign Braces

If you’ve ever considered straightening your teeth, getting braces, or talking to a Barrhaven orthodontist about a treatment like Invisalign, there’s a good chance that it had something to do with the esthetic appearance of your smile. But did you know that electing to complete a clear alignment system such as Invisalign can also have tremendous benefits on the overall health of your teeth?

Here are a few things you may not have realized Invisalign in Ottawa could do to better your dental health, aside from just giving you a straighter smile:

Invisalign Prevents Tooth Wear

Your teeth are extremely durable. In fact, tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the entire human body (even more than bones.) However, if teeth bite against one another abnormally it can cause them to wear down excessively or even break, not to mention cause existing dental work to fail.

Bites such as those where teeth hit end-to-end or in a crossbite are prone to causing irregular pressure points on specific teeth in your mouth. Although the effects aren’t immediate, they’re quite noticeable over the course of a few years. Gradually, the affected teeth become flattened or develop sharp edges that you may be able to feel with your tongue.

Aligning the upper and lower teeth with Invisalign braces allows you to preserve healthy tooth structure so that it functions as nature intended, rather than wear down decades before we want it to!

Invisalign Helps Minimize TMJ Disorder Pain

Did you know that TMJ disorder (TMD) can be due to an imbalance between the upper and lower teeth? Abnormal and irregular biting patterns often lead to a compromised function of the jaws when you’re biting and chewing throughout the course of the day.

Over time, these minor compromised movements can lead to noticeable joint pain and structural damage. Rather than taking a pain reliever to mask the symptoms or assume surgery is your only option, you owe it to yourself to talk to a Barrhaven orthodontist like Dr. Charles Cohen about how aligning your teeth could potentially lessen the muscle strain and fatigue associated with TMJ disorder.

Establishing a healthy, aligned bite allows your jaw joint to function as nature intended, thus reducing the symptoms of jaw pain, migraine headaches, and muscle fatigue that so often accompany TMD.

Preparing for Full Mouth Reconstruction and Dental Implants

If you’ve lost teeth in the past and are looking to replace them with dental implants or bridges, your dentist may tell you that there’s not enough room. Over time, teeth can shift out of place and tip into open spaces left by ones that have fallen out or been extracted.

By aligning your teeth with Invisalign, Dr. Charles Cohen can create adequate room for your dentist to place an appropriate prosthesis that restores your smile’s function and appearance. Whether it’s implants, a bridge, or something else, we can work closely with your dental provider to map out the best solution for your long-term goals. From there, you’ll be able to have a new retainer made that preserves optimal tooth alignment for years to come!

Reduce the Risk of Tooth Decay

Crowded, crooked, and misaligned teeth are often the first places to develop cavities. Even if you’re dedicated when it comes to proper brushing and flossing, these areas tend to harbor more bacterial accumulation throughout the day (they’re also more challenging to clean.)

If you’ve had a history of recurrent cavities, then straightening your smile with removable aligners is a great step toward reversing that trend.

Plus, Invisalign is completely removable throughout the course of your treatment. This feature makes keeping your smile clean extremely easy. Unlike traditional orthodontic patients, where you may ask yourself, “can I use an electric toothbrush with braces,” Invisalign allows you to easily maintain your oral hygiene throughout treatment. There are no fixed brackets or wires that accumulate plaque buildup. Rather, you can easily clean your teeth throughout the entire course of treatment without the risk of potentially developing new cavities along the way. Just take the aligners out to brush and floss as often as you like; there are no special tools or skills required.

Managing Periodontal (Gum) Disease

As with tooth decay, teeth that are misaligned tend to be the most prone to losing gum and bone support to periodontal disease. When areas are challenging to clean (or crowded areas harbor biofilm) the plaque accumulates down under the gum line, causing symptoms like:

  • Receding Gums
  • Bleeding when you brush and floss
  • Bad breath
  • Tooth mobility and loss
  • Heavy tartar buildup

Not only is periodontal disease a major cause of tooth loss, it’s also directly linked to health conditions like stroke, diabetes, pneumonia, infertility (in men and women), heart disease, and more. By eliminating gum infections, you can boost your immune system and better address underlying medical issues that may be impacted by oral bacteria spreading throughout the body via the bloodstream or airway.

Choosing to straighten your teeth is now considered a part of a comprehensive care plan for managing periodontitis. If you’re beginning to develop gum disease or are starting to see the development of gum pockets and bone loss during your dental checkups, you may want to consider how aligning your bite with Invisalign could help you prevent tooth loss in the future.

Is Invisalign Right for You?

Choosing to pursue Invisalign treatment can be an advantage for adults of any age. If you’ve been thinking about straightening your smile so that you can feel more confident about the way you look or avoid embarrassment during social situations, you have more reasons than ever to justify the investment in yourself.

If you’ve been considering Invisalign as a cosmetic alternative to traditional orthodontic treatments, now you know that looks aren’t the only advantage of wearing removable aligners. The easy-to-care-for system is better for your overall oral health.

Learn more about our Barrhaven Invisalign treatments and find out if you’re a candidate for therapy by contacting Braces Haven to schedule a consultation with Dr. Charles Cohen today. Flexible financing plans are available.