When a lot of people think of braces, they automatically assume that the braces are being put on someone's teeth in order to correct alignment issues. While this is often the case, the truth is that there are a lot of other reasons why someone may be put in braces. You can learn about some of the different types of dental problems that can be helped with the use of braces in order to gain a better understanding of just how helpful they can be to many people. Here are some examples of dental issues braces can help with.

Overbites

There is a natural overbite in which the upper teeth cover about a third of the lower teeth. A natural overbite won't cause any negative things for a person. However, there are overbites that go beyond what is normal and cause problems. Overbites can cause someone to have a speech impediment. They can also make it hard for people to eat certain types of foods. In school-aged children, overbites can lead to a lot of bullying. Also, an overbite will cause abnormal wearing on a person's teeth, since they are not designed to work properly with an overbite.

Underbites

An underbite is when a person's bottom teeth protrude past the upper ones. An underbite can be very problematic. There is no amount of underbite that would be considered to be within a normal range. An underbite can also lead to a speech impediment. Also, like overbites, an underbite can make it hard for the person to eat certain foods. With an underbite, a person's bottom jaw may be forced forward in an unnatural manner. When this happens, it can cause the person to have a lot of problems with their lower jaw or their neck, and they can even suffer from a lot of headaches.

Spaced teeth

A person can have teeth that are spaced further apart than what is normal for many reasons. In some cases, a person may have lost a tooth and their teeth have shifted apart over time due to the extra space being left in the jaw. Also, some people just have teeth that end up coming in with larger than average spaces between them. Some people have their wisdom teeth pulled and find their teeth shift outward. Spaced teeth can lead to a lisp that can be extreme in cases where a person has very large spaces.