Recently, a patient shared a photo with them as part of a happy group of friends to celebrate a milestone birthday. I couldn’t help noticing one person who seemed to be holding back on her smile with a hand in front of her mouth. As a Dentist, I understand.
People who feel self-conscious about the appearance of their teeth will often smile with their lips only, or conceal their teeth with their hand in front of their smile. It is often an unconscious reaction, one that is borne of years of repetitive response.
While some people cite lack of funds as what keeps them from a beautiful, confident smile, most of our smile makeover patients are far from wealthy. They are teachers, firemen, flight attendants, etc. Some opt for our financial plans to help pay for their new smile. Some have work done in stages. While the fees for some can be “my new car” (as one patient describes her new smile), I’ve never had a patient who said it wasn’t the best investment they ever made.
Consumer studies have shown that a beautiful smile will make you more attractive. But an independent study on behalf of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry showed a new smile will make you appear more intelligent, interesting, successful and wealthy to others as well.
In the study, pictures of eight individuals were shown to 528 Americans. Two sets of photos were created, with each set showing four people before having cosmetic dentistry, and four after treatment. Respondents were not told the smiles were a component of the rankings but asked to make snap judgments rating each on a 1-10 scale in categories of: Attractive; Intelligent; Happy; Successful in their career; Friendly; Interesting; Kind; Wealthy; and, Popular with opposite sex.
While the cosmetic dentistry group had highest rankings for Attractive, Popular with the opposite sex, Wealthy and Successful in their career, the cosmetic group also ranked significantly higher in all areas. The results indicated that an attractive smile does, indeed, impact how people are perceived by others.
Check out your latest photos. If you smile with your teeth concealed, call toll free 1-866-9-Smiles for a free consultation. We can help you achieve a confident smile that will create positive impressions everywhere you go!
