How To Straighten And Align Your Teeth Through Yoga?

If you do not believe the topic at first and wondering how is it possible to Straighten Your Teeth Through Yoga? Then you must go through this post in details and know it once and for all. 

Common Benefits of Yoga That You Are Probably Aware of:

As many of you may know, yoga is a millinery art and science that seeks the integration of mind, body and soul in an attempt of bringing about health, happiness and, ultimately, the union of the individual soul with the whole.

Yoga has proved to be really efficient in bringing about general well-being. It does not only have positive effects on what can be seen at plain sight, as weight control, muscle toning and body sculpting.

Its constructive effects reach every organ and bring equilibrium to every system: endocrine, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, nervous, etc.

Yoga And Dental Health

What many are unaware of is yoga’s benefits for dental health. Yes, you read correctly: practicing yoga on a regular basis helps achieve and keep a healthful dental environment.

In the following article we will see how this antique practice affects three central aspects of your dental health, including the very popular for teeth alignment.

As was previously stated, yoga results beneficial for dental health. The questions are why and how. There are three main aspects related to dental health that are directly affected by the regular, correct practice of asanas:

• Stress
• Saliva
• Posture

Let us take a closer look at these aspects and their relationship to yoga in order to focus on teeth straightening.

To know more on this in details read our Post on Meaning of The Word Yoga

Yoga And Stress

One of the most commonly known effects of yoga is the reduction of stress. Postures and Pranayama, that is, breathing exercises, have a direct influence on both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. 

The first one is associated with the body response which indicates whether to fight or flee in a dangerous situation. It is also in charge of the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisone, fundamental for survival. The second one, is the complete opposite: it is in charge of lowering stress. Relaxatio

n is fundamental for our body to concentrate in performing correctly other actions like, for example, digestion. The stress-relaxation paradigm is key for our survival and general well-being, but sometimes – and more everyday – stress levels tend to go up as a result of our modern, agitated lifestyle.

Luckily, yoga comes to the rescue, as it is a fundamental tool in the control of the stress circuit.

What Stress Has To Do With Straightening Teeth Or Its Alignment?

But how does all this affect our dental health? Stress brings about several teeth related problems. For example, stress causes teeth-grinding.

This can happen during the day time but also while sleeping! People who grind their teeth can damage them in a terrible way causing extreme sensitivity and pain, tooth decay and even tooth loss!

Furthermore, the nerves can get damaged and the gums may recede, further increasing the risk of tooth loss. Another direct consequence of stress is body inflammation.

Even though gum bleeding is generated by inflammation caused by certain bacteria, it can get worse with the presence of chronic stress, bringing about gum disease (like gingivitis).

Moreover, many people deal (wrongly) with stress through eating. Anxious eating, which tends to lead to an excess ingest of sugar and snacks, augments the risk of cavities as these types of food increase oral bacteria.

As we can see, stress levels have a direct effect on our dental health. Gum disease, tooth decay and, clearly, tooth loss attempt against your perfect smile. A consistent and regular practice of asanas is highly recommended for keeping straight, healthy teeth.

Also read our popular post in Yoga Therapy and Can I Do Yoga During Periods?

Yoga And Saliva: What It Has To Do With Teeth Alignment

Another key component in maintaining a healthy dental environment is the amount of saliva in your mouth. And even though it sounds amazing, yoga can also help regulate that! But first of all, what does saliva have to do with the teeth?

Saliva has a very important role in cleaning the insides of your mouth and in keeping and controlling the quantity of bacteria that inhabits it. On the one hand, saliva rinses the mouth and on the other hand, as it contains antibacterial enzymes, it breaks down food remains that get stuck in between teeth that cause cavities.

Saliva is fundamental as it avoids gum disease through the undisciplined reproduction of bacteria. When saliva levels are not optimum and your mouth goes dry, the more likely it is for bacteria to increment.

Some people suffer from chronic dry mouth and that leads to tooth decay, plaque and gum disease which can, in turn, lead to tooth loss.

Also, read our post on Can Yoga Build Muscles?

Yoga Can Control And Stimulate Your Saliva

Yoga can stimulate saliva secretion through breathing techniques as practiced during Pranayama.

Moreover, certain asanas, such as those that include forward bends (Paschimottanasana, Padangusthasana, Balasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Parsvottanasana, Janu Sirsasana, etc.), twists (Ardha Matsyendrasana, Bharadvaja I, Marichyasana III, Pasasana, etc.) and inversions (Sirsasana, Sarvangasana, Pincha Mayurasana, Adho Mukha Vrksasana, etc.) stimulate the gland in charge of producing saliva, increasing its release.

It is hard to believe but true: yoga avoids dry mouth and throat improving your dental health and preventing tooth loss.

Also, read our article on Power Yoga

Posture Are The Key To Straighten Your Teeth Through Yoga

As you may very well know, and if you don’t, you might probably imagine it, yoga is extremely helpful in building up the body’s posture. Yoga is all about integration and alignment. In order to integrate body, mind and soul it is necessary to align each part.

Benefits of having a good, straight posture are many. If you manage it, you will not suffer from any more body pains. Moreover, your breathing will improve, making the whole of your metabolism work at its optimum levels (circulatory, endocrine, nervous, etc.).

Also, read our post on How Often Should I do Yoga

Right Posture Matters

Besides gaining a stronger core and body muscles, your energy levels will improve, as will your confidence, good mood, memory and brain function. More energy also means more productivity and self-esteem.

And teeth? Yes! They are also linked to your good (or bad) postural habits.

A poor posture affects the whole of our body, not simply our neck and spine. The whole buccal apparatus is affected as, when we are hunched and our shoulders and thorax fall down, the lower jaw also shifts its position forward.

As a result of this movement of the lower jaws, the upper and lower teeth, that would be aligned in a straight posture, come out of alignment. This might seem a small change in the body.

Nonetheless, this detail changes our whole anatomy: the joints, bones and muscles of that area are stressed while the skull also moves back and the spine is compressed. If left untreated, all this stress may bring inflammation and pain when the mouth opens and closes.

Also, read our post on How To Control Thyroid Disorders Through Yoga

Yoga Can Help in TMJ

A very common disease involving the jaw is TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT DISORDER (TMJ). When the upper and lower jaw is not aligned for a long time, and do not work properly together you may suffer side effects such as headaches, pain when opening the jaw or a clicking sound in the area.

Most importantly, the change in the alignment of the jaw and thus, in its correct functioning, wear down unevenly the teeth and might lead to cracked teeth or tooth loss. It might not even be necessary to highlight those straight teeth do not exist when the jaw is out of line.

Spoiler Alert: Bad Posture Can Mis-align your Teeth

Everything is connected in the body, so a bad posture brings about the misalignment of the jaw which in its turn causes uneven biting which affects the teeth and also the position of the skull on the spine.

The head is directly linked to balance, so in order to balance a body with a misplaced head, the rest of the spine has to compensate down its length up to the soles of your feet! All this lack of alignment and unevenness and its subsequent compensation stresses the neck, shoulders, ribs and the organs underneath. The whole of your metabolism is at risk!

Luckily, the regular practice of asanas in a consistent, mature attitude may correct all these unevenness and restore your alignment. Aligned teeth and jaw permit an aligned spine and vice versa.

Also, read our post on What does Namaste mean in Yoga?

Straight Teeth, Integration Guaranteed

 As we have seen through this brief article, having uneven teeth is not just a matter of aesthetics: health is directly involved in this seemingly unimportant issue. Uneven teeth are linked with jaw alignment, and in its turn, with the position of the skull and the spine.

When alignment is lost, our body starts to compensate from one side and the other and as a result, bones, joints, and muscles are stressed, affecting organs. Metabolism as a whole is altered.

And even though nobody ever died for not having straight teeth, your body will not be working at its full capacity, and this affects your health, state of mind, self-esteem, and happiness.

We recommend the regular practice of yoga (that is, asana and Pranayama) to ensure your global well-being. And of course, a perfect smile

We hope by now your are convinced that it is completely possible to straighten your teeth through yoga. We have also explained how it can be done. 

If you have any questions do let us know by commenting in the comment box below. We will be more than happy to answer you. 

Also, read our post on How Yoga Works?