Dental care by wearing braces in Singapore is generally associated with straightening a person’s teeth and making their smile more attractive. Although this is certainly one of the main reasons for getting braces, it serves other purposes beyond aesthetics. In fact, braces can also help fix speech problems and jaw alignment.
Read on to learn more about what causes these specific dental issues and how braces treatment resolves them.
How braces help improve speech
Different muscles and structures in the throat and mouth coordinate to enable the complicated speech process. Any misalignment in these structures leads to impaired speech, which can stem from issues such as irregular positioning of the molars or the tongue and other speech-related muscles.
The first cause is typically a severe underbite or overbite that makes it difficult to pronounce sounds like “th” or “s”. Braces can reposition the affected teeth to make it easier to produce these sounds and greatly enhance speech clarity.
On the other hand, a narrow palate often causes incorrect tongue positioning and restricts its ability to move seamlessly, leading to some degree of speech impediment. This palate can be widened through dental treatment to allow more space for the tongue to move.
How braces improve jaw alignment
The location of the jaws also greatly influences speech and general oral health, which is why even a slight misalignment can cause many issues, including difficulty in chewing and swallowing, sleep apnea, and persistent jaw pain.
There are many ways to fix these problems, the most common being braces or aligners to move teeth into the right place. This treatment method also moves the mandible into a better position and improves overall jaw alignment.
In some cases, dental treatment may also require using appliances to adjust the jaws’ natural growth. For example, installing a device designed to facilitate upper jaw development can benefit those with a severe underbite and improve their jaw alignment.
Dental issues that impede speech and affect jaw alignment
As discussed, dental problems not only affect your teeth’s appearance but also impact your speech and jaw alignment. The latter can also potentially cause other issues because how your teeth and jaws are positioned affects how you talk and chew. Below are several of the most prevalent speech and jaw alignment problems affordable dental braces in Singapore can help resolve.
1. Overbite and underbite
An overbite is when the upper front teeth protrude beyond the lower front teeth; an underbite is the opposite. These two dental issues cause similar difficulties affecting speech, jaw alignment, and certain problems like the temporomandibular disorder, resulting in jaw pain.
2. Crossbite
A crossbite is when a tooth or group of teeth overlaps the opposing side in an incorrect way, causing problems with chewing and speaking. A crossbite might restrict the tongue from moving freely, making sounds like “z” and “s” difficult to pronounce.
3. Open bite
An open bite is a gap between the lower and upper teeth when the jaws are closed, affecting speech and making it hard to bite into food. Since the tongue may typically not touch the teeth properly in an open bite, sounds like “d” and “t” become difficult to say.
4. Narrow palate
A narrow palate essentially means the roof of the mouth is too narrow and affects the tongue’s position, making it hard to say certain sounds. Moreover, it can cause the teeth to become crowded, along with many other dental issues.
5. Tongue thrust
Tongue thrust is an issue that affects speech clarity and jaw alignment caused by the tongue pushing against the front teeth when speaking, swallowing, and even just resting. This constant pushing forces the teeth out of position, affecting the jaws’ development and leading to problems with speech, jaw alignment, and bite over time.
Conclusion
Braces treatment is not just effective at making your smile more attractive but also improves other dental issues, such as impaired speech clarity and jaw alignment. With the right treatment plan, those experiencing these problems can better talk, chew, and even breathe.
If fixing your smile and dental problems in one fell swoop sounds good to you, head on over to The Braces Practice today! Our professional and experienced team of dentists can provide you with the highest standard of dental and work with you to create the best experience in your braces journey. To learn more about our metal braces, Invisalign aligners, or any of our other affordable dental braces in Singapore, feel free to drop us a call at any time.
