Everyone admires a beautiful smile with flashing teeth that are straight and healthy.
A few lucky people are actually born with such a smile.
Many more, however, have teeth and jaws that are misaligned and require the help of an orthodontist to achieve the perfect look that everyone wants.
Orthodontic procedures are typically considered something that must be performed during childhood or adolescence, but is it ever really too late to correct these problems? Surprisingly, more and more procedures are being performed after a person reaches maturity.
Orthodontics for adults is no longer considered rare or unusual.
In fact, certain problems may only arise later in life after the teeth and jaws have stopped growing, and could not have been addressed earlier.
So what exactly is orthodontics, and what can it do for a patient beyond helping them achieve a perfect smile? Orthodontics is a field of medicine that addresses both cosmetic and health issues.
Orthodontics for health consists of correcting dental issues stemming from misalignment.
Besides the unattractive appearance of crooked or gapped teeth, serious medical problems can arise when a person's 'bite' doesn't match.
Tooth decay, gum disease, speech abnormalities and chewing difficulties can result from poorly aligned teeth and jaws.
Health issues aside, trouble with crooked teeth goes far beyond the physical.
Many people suffer from poor self-esteem due to embarrassment about their smile.
They may be reluctant to meet new people, speak in public, or even laugh.
Bad teeth can be such a psychological hindrance for people that many therapists work hand in hand with orthodontists when addressing the underlying causes of low self-esteem.
Not surprisingly, many adults are reluctant to address orthodontic problems, thinking that braces and other such remedies for misalignment are useless once they pass adolescence.
However, it is never too late to correct most problems.
The techniques used today are also less painful and more discreet than the typical mouthful of metal most people recall from their youth.
Braces and other hardware employed to correct alignment are now often invisible or nearly so, and some may be worn in private and removed for going out in public.
Such flexibility removes the barriers that might have prevented adults and even seniors from dealing with dental problems in the past.
Fortunately, the welcome benefit of solving dental issues is obtaining that radiant smile that everyone dreams of.
Perfect teeth are possible, and it's never too late.