According to research carried out, 40 per cent of UK adults are dissatisfied with how their smiles look. A person’s smile has been the source of much scientific study and the conclusions drawn have a weighty impact on daily life.
When it comes to social attractiveness, a person’s smile is often the first thing we notice in others, and we tend to make social judgements based on our perceptions of that smile.
We attach much significance to the smile: we make inferences about how friendly and intelligent a person is and whether they are deemed trustworthy and acceptable. For smiles that we find pleasing, we associate characteristics such as higher intelligence, more successful and more popular.
But what about smiles we find less appealing? When the look of a smile deviates from what is generally considered attractive, the judgements formed are less than desirable. These judgements extend to impact one’s professional life too with those with less ideal smiles placed at a disadvantage during job or promotion interviews. The prospective job seeker may be perceived as one with limited intelligence, unhealthy or untrustworthy and, therefore, less likely to be successful in securing the job. It is not uncommon for hiring managers to view candidates with winning smiles more favourably than those with poor dental appearance.
Such negative social judgements are not limited to adults alone as children and teenagers, too, can suffer from poor perceptions of others. The British Dental Association reports that on the list of top three reasons for bullying at school is poor dental appearance.
Positive effects of orthodontic treatments
There are a number of dental conditions that may prevent you from smiling confidently. On this list of problems that make you feel embarrassed about your smile are dental decay, misaligned teeth, protruding jaws, missing teeth and discoloured teeth. This lack of confidence can lead to negative consequences that include depression, withdrawal from society and lack of self-esteem that may impact one’s career prospects.
Effective orthodontic care, as carried out by Orthodontist Liverpool, is a means for helping patients address the teeth and jaw issues that impact their ability to show off wide pleasing smiles.
Orthodontic treatments do much more than just reposition teeth with dental devices such as braces to make smiles look more aesthetically pleasing. Equally important are the extended benefits that relate to oral and general health (mental and physical). Consider benefits such as improved bite function on one’s social life with the ability to eat confidently in social settings or the relief from pain due to jaw joint problems or the savings in time and effort because straighter teeth are easier to clean and keep clean. Another much-appreciated benefit offered by orthodontics is protecting the teeth from damage. Patients with prominent teeth are more at risk of damaging their teeth should they fall or receive a knock on this area of the face. A dental practitioner can use orthodontic devices to align jaws that grow out of position.
Attain greater oral health with the dedicated dental services offered at Liverpool Smile Studio. Contact a qualified dental practitioner for more information on orthodontic treatments available.