According to the Canadian Dental Association, “good oral health contributes positively to your physical, mental, and social well-being and to the enjoyment of life’s possibilities, by allowing you to speak, eat, and socialize unhindered by pain, discomfort, or embarrassment.” The benefits of good oral health is exponentially witnessed during and after the process of straightening teeth. As symptoms associated with crooked and crowded teeth begin to diminish and the signs of increased health are observed, Canadians can be seen taking more pride in their appearance and feeling more confident. If you’ve been thinking that straightening teeth is all about beauty, you’ll be pleased to discover that the benefits of preferred tooth alignment are far reaching and go beyond the aesthetics of a smile.

Straight Teeth Don’t Just Look Good

The benefits of having properly aligned teeth go beyond a pretty smile; the entire dental system is impacted by a person’s bite, and it can be compromised in all areas when teeth and jaws don’t work well together. Dental health concerns such as jaw joint discomfort, gum recession, bone loss and excessive tooth wear are frequently noted in a mouth where tooth-to-tooth and jaw-to-jaw relationships are not ideal and result from imbalanced force and stress being exerted. Gum recession is often thought of as an “old person’s” disease and primarily associated with bacterial activity or toothbrush abrasion, but the reality is that when teeth are crooked and top and bottom teeth don’t interdigitate normally, gum; bone; joints; and teeth all suffer the consequences of a bad bite. Straightening teeth not only creates a more uniform smile that creates better facial symmetry and a more youthful appearance, but the process also aids in correcting other dental concerns caused by poor tooth alignment.

Straight Teeth Help Prevent Dental Decay

Along with improved gum health and the added comfort experienced from teeth working optimally within a system, there is another huge advantage that presents when teeth are straight: a reduction in the risk of dental decay. Canadians with crooked, overlapping teeth need to work extra hard to keep their smiles clean because their crooked teeth quickly trap food and plaque – creating the perfect environment for decay to form.  When teeth are straightened and are in good alignment, they exhibit self-cleansing attributes as food particles are easily rinsed away with water or the eating of an apple, and brushing and flossing becomes more efficient and effective – further reducing the risk of decay. But don’t take that as an excuse to stop brushing once your teeth are straight!

Straight teeth do make for a lovely smile, but they also help keep a mouth healthy. Interested in straightening your teeth? Talk to the General Dentists at Discover Dental today and ask about an Invisalign® consultation.

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Smiles are as unique as our fingerprints and no two people present with the same bite. The uniqueness of our pearly whites can be a blessing for some and a curse for others, as crooked teeth that appear darker in colour can be the unique characteristic that plagues some patients. Correcting minor imperfections such as colour and mild tooth misalignment doesn’t always have to be a lengthy or costly endeavour as modern cosmetic dental treatments are able to instantly mask undesirable characteristics that detract from a smile.

Dental Veneers – Improving Smile Aesthetics

Not everyone is blessed with whiter-than-white teeth that line up perfectly. In fact, based on the amount of orthodontics worn by teenagers and adults, it may be fair to say that the perfect smile often has to be created with the assistance of dental treatment. But, while orthodontics only fixes a bad bite and crooked placement, dental veneers are able to improve the shape, size, position, and colour of teeth. In other words, veneers offer an affordable alternative to orthodontics for improving a smile without all the wires and brackets.

What are Dental Veneers?

Veneers are paper-thin porcelain or ceramic shells that fit over the surface of anterior (front and canine) teeth. The porcelain creates a more uniformed look by balancing colour imperfections along with shape, size, and angle of the teeth. Primarily considered to be used for cosmetic purposes, dental veneers can actually improve bite imperfections by restoring length to teeth that are shorter due to positioning or trauma to dental tissue. Having an even bite also improves tooth-to-tooth function and assists with biting and chewing of food.

Porcelain Veneers Provide a Conservative Treatment Option

While the cosmetic benefits of veneers shouldn’t be overlooked, they also offer another benefit: their conservative nature. Unlike a dental crown, which requires more significant preparation of natural tooth structure, the thinness of a dental veneer means that it can be adhered directly to a tooth with minimum removal of natural tissue. Often, your dentist will merely roughen the enamel to enable the veneer to be cemented. This means more natural tooth structure can remain, and in the future, your dental treatment options won’t be limited.

Dental Veneers can be a great option for patients wanting to improve their smile and can be completed in just a couple of appointments.  If the colour, shape, or position of front teeth are causing you to frown, talk to the General Dentists at Discover Dental about veneers or call us at (403) 285-0222.

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