If you have crooked teeth, you might want to hide your smile with your hand. But sometimes, a joke is too funny and you want to laugh without apprehension. Indeed, many people don’t seek out orthodontic solutions to fix their crooked teeth because they don’t want to spend time or money on adjusting something “just to make themselves look better.” They may feel selfish or consider straight teeth to be a luxury. But the reality is that adjusting a smile isn’t just about how you look… it's also about your overall health.

Teeth that are crooked offer far more problems than just the anxiety caused by what others might think. When you leave crooked teeth unattended, you are setting yourself up for a host of more painful problems in the future.

Crooked Teeth Mean More Cavities

When your teeth are crooked and improperly aligned, you run the risk of getting more food caught in between the teeth. It is harder to clean crooked teeth because you can’t always fit the brush in the places that it needs to be. When you can’t clean your teeth properly, you run a greater risk of plaque build-up, not to mention proliferation of the bacteria that can grow in your mouth. This buildup leads to cavities and a greater risk of developing gum disease. By fixing crooked teeth, you allow your teeth the best possible chance for a healthy, clean, plaque-free smile.

Crooked Teeth Go Through More Wear and Tear

When your teeth don’t line up properly, they end up rubbing against each other in odd places. This brings unnecessary wear and tear upon your teeth. You are more susceptible to chips on your teeth or even a flattening of a tooth. All of this produces potential problems like cavities, tooth disease, and pain that have to be corrected, potentially with surgery.

Crooked Teeth Are Painful

Chances are that if you have crooked teeth, your teeth aren’t touching correctly when you chew. This places more pressure on the joints in your jaw (especially the temporomandibular joint, aka TMJ), which causes tightness, pain, and “popping” noises, especially when chewing. You might even encounter your jaw “locking up,” where you can no longer open it the same amount. Additionally, jaw pain is often linked to headaches or strain in your face and neck. Have you heard about TruDenta?

Crooked Teeth Can Cause Speech Problems

While crooked teeth can cause dental health issues, did you know that crooked teeth can also result in speech impediments? Things like an overbite or underbite can significantly impact your speech clarity. Your teeth are part of your articulators, which means they help you produce vocal sounds. There are some words that are difficult to pronounce with an overbite, underbite, or even gaps in your teeth, and entire sounds like “sh” and “ch” will sound incorrect. Additionally, your crooked teeth might lead to a lisp or even a slight “whistle sound” that happens when you speak.

Getting Treatment Is Self-Care, Not Selfish

Correcting crooked teeth is essential to your health and the longevity of your smile. With the variety of orthodontic treatments we offer, Dr. Crutchfield will help you choose the best one to fit your lifestyle while helping you make a splash with your new, improved smile.