Braces do a lot to change the appearance of your smile, so are braces just cosmetic or can they be necessary? There are actually many practical and sometimes significant reasons to get braces. If you’re considering orthodontic treatment for yourself or your child, it’s important to understand all the benefits they can bring you and when they may be necessary for the health of your teeth.

Do I Need Braces?

Changing the appearance of your teeth and your smile is only scratching the surface of what braces can do for you. While it is important to many people how their smile looks, and braces can serve a very important role in improving your self-confidence and self-image, braces also affect your health in many other practical ways as well.

Braces can be important and necessary for someone who is suffering from overcrowded, overlapping or twisted teeth in order to help prevent problems like impaction, cracked teeth, tooth decay and gum disease. These problems can develop when your teeth are too close together, putting extra pressure on them and making it difficult to maintain good oral hygiene.

Braces may also be important and necessary for someone who has a malocclusion — an overbite, underbite or crossbite — because this can sometimes severely affect the ability to chew certain foods or cause a lot of discomfort with the jaw long-term.

Evaluating the Situation

If you’re still asking “are braces just cosmetic?” consider the steps an orthodontist follows as they evaluate how to plan orthodontic treatment. It’s important to get properly evaluated by an orthodontist in order to understand exactly which issues your dealing with and how braces can benefit you.

During a consultation with an orthodontist, they can examine your teeth and jaw to evaluate the position of all your teeth including any teeth that may not have erupted yet such as wisdom teeth. They can also evaluate the position and function of your jaw.

After fully evaluating your teeth and jaw, they will be better able to give you an accurate outline of what orthodontic treatment will look like, such as the timeline, procedures involved and everything you should expect along the way. They may also be able to answer any questions you may have about how the braces will benefit your dental health, many common reasons being straighter teeth are easier to clean. Also an improved bite can aid in better digestion for many patients whose chewing abilities may be affected by their tooth alignment.

Many Options Available

The wonderful thing about considering orthodontic treatment now is that there have never been better or more options available to suit your lifestyle and treatment needs. Are braces just cosmetic or necessary for you? Either way, both are practical reasons to find out more, so make an appointment today to talk to your orthodontist about what options are available specific to what you need and desire for your future smile, comfort and oral health.

Call our McKinney, Rowlett, Sherman, Greenville, Rio Bravo or Montgomery dental offices to make an appointment with a dentist who may be able to help you find out more about this topic, and improve your oral health.