With basketball and football season in full swing, athletes are expected to perform their best, but recent research suggests that dental malocclusions could impact posture, balance, and athletic performance. A straight and properly aligned smile is more than just cosmetic; it’s healthy and functional in more ways than one. According to two new studies conducted by the Department of Physiology at the University of Barcelona in Spain and the University of Innsbruck in Austria, researchers have confirmed a link between a misaligned bite and postural control. It may seem like a stretch that researchers have found a correlation between the two, but it’s not too surprising once you understand the anatomical logistics.