Straight teeth, clean teeth!
Did you know that having straighter teeth makes them much easier to keep free from plaque? And do you know why it’s important to keep plaque at bay? Here at Old Windsor Dental Practice, we encourage patients to get straight teeth with braces in Windsor because we know about the knock-on benefits of teeth straightening treatment.
Plaque and braces in Windsor
Plaque is that sticky film that builds up on your teeth during the day. If you could put some under a microscope you would see that is made up of millions of bacteria. They naturally live in the human mouth and feed on sugars from food and drinks. If you eat a particularly sugary snack, you will notice your teeth starting to feel ‘furry’. That’s the plaque. Unfortunately, these bacteria exude acids and these eat away at the enamel on your teeth to cause decay, and inflame and irritate the gums. This causes the gums to lift away from the teeth and then the acids attack the tooth roots and bones beneath.
Plaque and gum disease are also linked to other diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, dementia and rheumatoid arthritis.
It’s easy to brush plaque off the surface of the teeth, but it also builds up in crevices and the harder they are to get at with a brush, the more chances there are of developing decay and gum disease. Wonky teeth have more crevices, but teeth straightened with braces in Windsor are much easier to keep clean.
Straight teeth and self-esteem
People are very tuned into each other’s smiles. We use the smile as a way of assessing how friendly and healthy someone is, a hardwired behaviour many thousands of years old. So, when you have something imperfect about your teeth, even something as mild as a twist or a bit of a lean in or out, you can become terribly self-conscious about it, and cover it up by not smiling much. Braces in Windsor give you an aligned set of teeth that will boost your self-confidence. You will find yourself smiling more and find others responding to that warm, friendly smile in ways that help smooth your path through life.
