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October: Orthodontic Health Month
National Orthodontic Health Month was created as a way to raise awareness of the benefits of orthodontic treatment and the importance of good oral health.
According to the American Association of Orthodontics over four million people in the U.S. at any given time are undergoing some form of orthodontic treatment. Most of them are children ranging between 6 and 18 years old, but it is estimated that over one million of these patients are adults.
Most of us understand why orthodontics are a good idea for growing children, but more adults than ever are seeking corrections that they didn’t get in childhood to gain the benefits they wish they’d had sooner.
What are some of the benefits of orthodontics, aside from straighter teeth, improved confidence, and a better ‘bite’?
People who receive orthodontic treatment usually practice better dental hygiene and enjoy better oral (and often overall) health.
According to a study conducted by Jose Leon Feliu, M.D., D.D.S. of Madrid, Spain, it was determined that in a random sampling of boys and girls aged 11 to 15 years old (half of whom received orthodontic treatment, and half did not), using gingivitis and plaque indices, the patients who had received orthodontic treatment displayed superior oral hygiene to those who had not received orthodontic treatment.
Issues with tooth and jaw misalignment can be disruptive to a person’s sleep, leaving them tired and unable to focus during the day. Whether it’s the discomfort of bruxism (teeth grinding) that prevents a person from sleeping deeply enough or the exacerbation of conditions like sleep apnea, correcting alignment issues can relieve these problems, allowing you to sleep better at night.
Orthodontic treatment can also improve some sinus issues, opening up constricted airways. Not only does this help you get a better night’s sleep, but it can also make it easier to breathe more easily during the day as well.
It makes perfect sense that if a person is experiencing difficulty properly chewing their food due to dental misalignment they are going to have some difficulty with digestion. Conditions such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), gas, indigestion and more can enjoy improvements from orthodontic treatment – simply by improving a person’s ability to chew their food thoroughly so their body doesn’t have to work as hard to break it down into usable nutrients.
Improved digestion has many health benefits, not the least of which is improved immune system function.
In patients with dentomandibular-related obstructive sleep apnea, receiving orthodontic treatment usually also means an improvement in their sleep apnea.
Though the young subjects of a paper published in Germany’s Journal of Orofacial Orthopedics, February 2006, are more extreme cases, there are indeed instances in which orthodontic treatment is used to successfully treat less severe obstructive sleep apnea cases.
For those whose days and nights are impacted by TMJ and who undergo orthodontic treatment, the difference can be tremendous.
The TMJ-associated head, neck and shoulder discomfort that can linger for days on end often responds very well to orthodontic treatment, especially when coupled with stress management therapy and education.
October being Orthodontic Health Month, we wish to encourage everyone to be assessed for the state of their orthodontic health. One might never know what a thorough exam can reveal, nor how positively the right orthodontics can impact not only their oral health but also their overall health.
Sources
Long-term benefits of orthodontic treatment on oral hygiene, 1982, Jose Leon Feliu, M.D., D.D.S. Madrid, Spain
https://www.ajodo.org/article/0002-9416(82)90315-3/fulltext
Role of Orthodontist in Obstructive Sleep Apnea – An Orthodontic Review, August 2016, Luv Agarwal* and Ankit Gupta, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Saraswati Dental College and Hospital, Haridwar, Uttrakhand 249401, India
Orthodontic procedures in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in children. January 2006, Rose E & Schessl J, Department of Orthodontics, University of Freiburg, Germany
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