How Bad Teeth Affect A Person's Childhood, Career, And Dating Experiences

People with bad teeth experience not only medical problems, but also significant psychological and social issues. When a person has discolored, misaligned, or unhygienic teeth, that person is more likely to feel stressed in the dating world, in childhood, and in the workplace. Cosmetic dentistry can fix these often over-looked, yet very important, side effects of bad teeth.

Bad Teeth Affect a Person's Perceived Attractability

In a 2012 study assessing how singles assess a potential dating partner, both men and women ranked white teeth as the number one most important aspect that they considered when judging a date. In this survey, men and women ranked their dates' teeth as more important than the cars that their dates drive, the electronic devices that they use, and the clothes they wear. They even found a date's white teeth more important than use of proper grammar.

Bad Teeth Affect a Person's Self Esteem and Confidence

Psychological studies show that people with misaligned or discolored teeth often suffer from self esteem issues as a result of their bad teeth. Furthermore, these studies show that the issues are not just psychological in nature, but also neurological—for example, rats with missing teeth have lessened cerebral cortex deterioration when compared to rats with full sets of teeth. Like rats, humans have cerebral cortexes; the cerebral cortex is responsible for the more complex activities, and is only present in mammals. It is responsible for the body's problem solving, memory, intelligence, and ability to speak. Thus, a deteriorated cerebral cortex would impact how a person interacts with the world, including that person's self-worth.

Bad Teeth and Childhood Performance

Interestingly enough, children with bad teeth also have statistically lower grades than their peers with healthier, more aesthetically desirable smiles. Much of this results from bad hygiene leading to painful cavities and dental disease. A child might also have lower grades because, even if no pain is involved, bad teeth decreases the child's confidence levels, which directly correlates to performance in school.

Bad Teeth and Job Performance

The effect that a less-than-perfect smile has on an individual lasts well beyond childhood education, and the cycle is a vicious, unending one. People with bad teeth are less likely to get jobs or promotions even if they are otherwise qualified. To make matters worse, over half of Americans do not have dental insurance; thus, many otherwise employable Americans will continue to experience negative reactions to their bad teeth because they cannot correct dental hygiene and cosmetic issues.

Parting Thoughts

Unfortunately, the negative effects of a less-than-perfect smile extends beyond any related physical pain or medical conditions. Bad hygiene, misalignment, discolored, and overall "bad" teeth impacts a person's self esteem, the way that the person interacts with the world, and the way that the world treats that person. For people that suffer from these dental issues, cosmetic dentistry can significantly address and correct the emotional side effects. Visit a site like http://sharpsmile.com for more information.

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