In 2018, the role of orthodontic treatment extends beyond realigning teeth and improving your bite and plays a huge part in restoring confidence and emotional wellbeing, especially in an image-conscious society. The shift in people’s motivation to undergo treatment is reflected in the fact that 1 in 5 patients undergoing orthodontic treatment is now an adult.
People with poorly-aligned teeth or a poor bite will often develop self-confidence issues, resulting in them covering their mouths to laugh, smile with their lips closed or even avoid speaking around strangers in order to hide their teeth.
Parental resource Askdrsears believes that ‘self-esteem is a child’s passport to a lifetime of mental health and social happiness. It’s the foundation of a child’s wellbeing and the key to success as an adult. At all ages, how you feel about yourself affects how you act’. Orthodontic complications can also result in speech impediments, which can become a long-term problem (and increase the risk of bullying) unless they are dealt with early on in the development of your child’s tooth growth.
A survey of patients undergoing orthodontic treatment carried out by angle.org found that 81.8% of those surveyed reported an improvement in social relationships and emotional wellbeing and of the 26.5% who had speech impediments, 85.2% reported an improvement.
- Those surveyed who suffered from headaches (38.2%), 71.8% reported improvement.
- Of the 36.3% of patients who felt uncomfortable eating, 86.5% reported an improvement.
- Of the 4.9% of patients surveyed regarding difficulty eating, 80% reported an improvement.
Wellbeing and self-confidence is central to the other benefits that undergoing orthodontic treatment has to offer:
- Improved oral hygiene – misaligned teeth are difficult to brush and therefore the shade of your teeth may be compromised due to a build up of plaque and tartar. In restoring a healthy structure to your teeth, you can also be confident that it will be easier to maintain a healthy tooth shade.
- Restore your ability to chew correctly – ill-positioned teeth can make it difficult to break down certain foods, especially in cases of malocclusion (where your teeth do not meet correctly). You may have felt embarrassed to attempt eating certain foods in company out of fear of being unable to chew correctly.
If you would like more information about how orthodontic treatment could benefit you, please get in touch with us and we book you a consultation here in Reading.