Do crooked teeth affect your quality of life?
You might think that the answer to this simple question is a simple “YES”.
However, only recently have scientists been able to answer this question definitively. You see, proof in the scientific sense is actually very difficult to establish.
For example, back in the 1980’s a group of top orthodontists in the UK looked into this very question. By following a group of children for 20 years to see if their tooth alignment and bite had an impact on their long term quality of life. Believe it or not, they found that the alignment of teeth made NO difference to the long term psychological health of these individuals.
Fast forward to image-obsessed 2016.
What about children these days? With the explosion of social media sites, such as Facebook and Instagram, showing images of flawless celebrities. Do you think the 1980’s conclusion still holds true?
Errr….No.
The highest level of evidence now comes from a recent systematic review of all the studies conducted to answer this question in today’s children. By pooling together all the results from the latest studies, the systematic review shows that children with crooked front teeth have a 50% greater risk of a negative social impact than children with straight teeth.
Now, some of us (me included) will wish that it wasn’t so. But it is an irrefutable fact that in today’s image-obsessed culture, crooked teeth affect a child’s quality of life.
How this might play out in the child’s future has not been fully established. Although many believe that the negative social stigma imposed by crooked teeth can lead to all manner of career restrictions, and problems attracting a partner.
But, we know this. Don’t we?
Indeed, the modern world is filled with stereotypes related to teeth: For example, low socio-economic background is often portrayed by crooked and decayed teeth (the ‘Bogan’ look). People with a perceived narrow intellectual band-width are usually portrayed as having goofy or prominent front teeth. Think Tow-Mater and Goofy.
Perhaps the good news is that teeth are not the only aspect of the human face than conveys facial attractiveness. Eyes, facial symmetry, and good skin complexion, are possibly just as important. However, those aspects are not quite as easy to change and maintain!
A beautiful, confident smile is the least you can expect from a course of orthodontic treatment. Treatment by a fully qualified Specialist Orthodontist also gives you a perfect bite, therefore giving you the best chance of keeping your beautiful healthy smile for the best part of your life.
