01/29/2023
STOP HIDING YOUR SMILE and start your journey to a more confident smile! Transform your smile with Clear Aligners Today.
Orthodontic care can play an important role in your physical, mental, and oral health. The purpose of orthodontic care is to create a healthy and functional bite, which promotes dental and general physical health, explains the American Association of Orthodontists. Straightened teeth are also less at-risk for decay, gum disease, and injury. The aesthetic effects of orthodontic treatment can also have positive emotional benefits. According to the American Association of Orthodontists, self-confidence and self-esteem may improve as treatment brings your teeth and jaws into alignment and a more desirable smile takes shape.
Unfortunately, crooked teeth will not resolve on their own and can worsen over time. Even as children get older, their orthodontic problems can also become more difficult to treat. In order to fix misaligned teeth, “dentists and orthodontists may recommend traditional metal braces or clear aligners,” Whichever method you choose to fix crooked teeth, straight teeth can have a significant impact on every life, extending beyond a good bite. A 2020 Progress in Orthodontics systematic literature review, recognized that malocclusion has negative effects not only on self-esteem, but also on your overall quality of life.
There's more to learn about the relationship between malocclusion and adolescent self-esteem, because studies have found that crooked teeth can have negative impacts on self-esteem in teens. If your child is entering their adolescent years with dental misalignment, it's important to know that crooked teeth can be a factor in the low self-esteem of some teens. Fortunately, straightening your teen’s teeth can both improve their overall oral health and significantly increase self-esteem and self-confidence.
A 2017 study published in the Journal of Orthodontic Science found that having crooked teeth or a bad bite, also known as malocclusion, negatively impacts self-esteem in teens. Researchers found that the following factors had the greatest negative effects on adolescent self-esteem: Multiple forms of malocclusion; Improper spacing of the anterior teeth; Dental crowding or an Overjet. In addition to fixing alignment issues to promote a healthier mouth and fewer problems later in life, orthodontic treatment in adolescents can also help self-esteem. Teeth that are crooked or a smile that is uneven or not straight can lead teens to not want to smile, to cover their mouth when they talk, or to avoid social interaction altogether.
When you see these behaviors in a teen who may be struggling with self-image issues due to malocclusion, it’s important to take potential mental health issues seriously. Untreated, crooked teeth can lead to anxiety, depression, or other mental problems. This is why it can be crucial to get your teen’s teeth fixed in a timely manner and adolescence is always the best time because so many other kids are in orthodontic treatment. One real advantage to getting your child's orthodontic treatment during their teen years is, whenever a dentist or orthodontist recommends orthodontic treatment, the news is forever good, because teenagers are actually among their peers, who will all be going through treatment simultaneously..
