Endorphins and Good Habits: 3 Health Benefits of Straightening Your Teeth

A nice, straight, natural smile is desirable for all the obvious reasons – you look great, healthy, and attractive.

We’re actually genetically programmed to find straight, healthy-looking teeth attractive. Our slightly hairier ancestors considered all kinds of attributes when choosing a perfect mate, and it’s for this reason that we’re still attracted to broad shouldered men and women with pronounced hips, for example. Fertility and health is unconsciously attractive to us, whether we feel broody or not, and nice teeth fall right into this category.

Good oral health and a big, bright, straight smile sends all the right messages, whether you’re at work, on a date or meeting someone for the first time. There are also some less obvious benefits too. Have you ever considered any of the following?

Straight teeth are easier to floss and clean

People who are concerned about the brightness and straightness of their teeth generally practice very good oral hygiene, even if they didn’t when they were slightly younger.

However, gaps and overlapped teeth provide more nooks and crannies for the food that we eat, so you need to be a very avid flosser to get rid of all this excess plaque, which can then turn into tooth decay, as we all know. As sophisticated as electric toothbrushes have become, it’s hard to get into those spaces sometimes. Straighter teeth are easier to floss, brush, and keep an eye on.

More brushing means fresher breath and great oral health

Someone who’s spent a lot of time and money on making sure their smile is in tip-top shape isn’t going to start neglecting their teeth any time soon.

Invisible aligners require the wearer to brush their teeth each time they take the aligner out to eat or drink. Many find that their oral health keeps on improving during their aligner treatment, because they’re taking greater care of their teeth and brushing more regularly.

Maintaining that smile after alignment is just as crucial, and those good teeth cleaning habits have already been formed.

Great teeth = more smiling

Smiley people are infectious, in a good way of course. For those who are conscious of their teeth, however, this can lead to years of smiling with their mouth closed.

People who smile brightly and genuinely, and not with their lips tightly clamped together, come across as trustworthy and friendly (according to a University of Pittsburgh Study), and can even send really positive messages to those around them. Do people who don’t smile warmly in business meetings come across well? Definitely not.

Smiling is ultimately great for your own mental health, as well as everyone else’s. It might sound a bit wishy washy, but a 2012 piece in Psychology Today collated research that demonstrated smiling even when you don’t feel too great can boost your mood with a release of endorphins. It also relieves the common and automatic signs of stress that show on our faces, including tension and frowning which can cause jaw pain in the long run.

If all this sounds good to you, and you’re ready to start brightening up rooms with your super genuine grin, start your quick, easy, and free e-consultation to find out if you would be eligible for clear aligners at home.

Health, beauty, or both? Tell us your principal reason for wanting beautifully straight teeth in the comment box on social media, and tag us using @straightteethdirect or #straightteethdirect !