Do you find yourself hiding your smile, especially in pictures? It’s not a great feeling. Science says you’d actually feel better if you smiled more. The act of smiling triggers the chemicals in your brain that signal happiness. This lowers stress, which is beneficial to our health. If you’re feeling self-conscious about smiling, you could be depriving yourself of this useful (and free!) way to lower stress.
Experiencing lowered self-esteem can be damaging both physically and emotionally. If it’s because of your appearance, you have options. You don’t have to live with an incomplete, discolored, or crooked smile. Cosmetic dentistry can get you back to a place where you’re more than happy to share a friendly smile, and often.
Perception and confidence
There is more to your smile than just your own confidence, however. The perception of others plays a big part in deciding to undergo cosmetic procedures. Studies have been done showing that people often make quick, first impression judgments just based on our teeth. You may even do it yourself subconsciously. This is the part where we address how your teeth could be affecting your professional development or love life.
It turns out a sizable part of the population thinks having straight teeth means you’re more successful, intelligent, and a better catch. Two out of five people surveyed said they would not go on a second date with someone they observed had crooked teeth. Additionally, more half of respondents said if a job opening came down to two candidates with identical qualifications, the person with the straighter teeth would get the job. Hard numbers to back up the reality of this are hard to come by as you can imagine. But if the perception is there, often the reality follows.
Having white teeth is seen to be a sign of youth, attractiveness, and earning a high income. If you’ve never thought about just how important your smile is, now you know how our tendencies to go off first impressions work.
What procedures might you opt for?
There are a wide variety of cosmetic dental procedures available to address the most common dental issues of missing teeth, crooked teeth, and discolored teeth. If you’re missing a tooth or a couple teeth, implants are probably the best solution available. They look just like your natural teeth and are securely implanted into your jawbone with titanium roots. They feel like any other regular tooth. One reason you may not be a good candidate for dental implants, however, is if your jawbone has been degraded due to disease or a degenerative condition. Luckily, dentists can often work around this by doing a bone graft first, so few people are actually limited from having dental implants.
Invisalign is a popular treatment option if you’re looking to straighten your teeth. These clear aligners do the work of braces without the metal wires that make you feel self-conscious. You can have a straighter smile in a matter of months.
And, of course, there are teeth whitening services. While it’s true you can buy whitening kits at the pharmacy, nothing compares to having it professionally done. The materials used are not only more powerful, but they are safer because of their professional application.