With appearance playing such a huge part in this generation, it’s important to have a smile you’re not insecure about. Our smile and teeth play such a unique part in our lives, from helping us with eating to talking to giving our face expression – it shapes us day-to-day and is a great asset for building personal and professional relationships.
With the theme of this years Time to Talk day being anxiety, DLP wanted to use this platform to express our concerns around teeth anxiety and the issues they can cause. Teeth-anxiety is becoming more and more prevalent in this generation due to the increased usage of social media and appearance-based TV-shows. According to a consumer survey DLP carried out across England and Wales, 33% of people admitted ‘’my teeth are causing me anxiety,’’ with a staggering 73% of younger adults aged 35 and under revealing they feel influenced by TV shows, celebrities, and models to improve the appearance of their teeth. Its important to consider the ramifications this idealist world portrayed so frequently now-a-days, is having on the younger generation. With cosmetic dentistry on the rise, it’s no doubt this will feed into the growing mental health issues.
However, what is a baffling realisation, is that teeth are not regularly considered a reason for a person’s declining mental health. Your smile is often one of the first things a person sees – so it’s important to realise the impact insecurities around your teeth, can have on your overall well-being.
Although there is not a quick fix for any kind of anxiety, good oral hygiene and attending regular dentist appointments is essential for keeping your teeth healthy and eradicating more complicated dental issues in the future. Preventing the issues from getting worse is much better than restoration and treatment. Use this new year as an excuse to invest more time into rebuilding your confidence and ensuring you have a healthier and happier smile going forward.
December 2022, The Dental Law Partnership consumer survey, 2,000 adults, aged 18+, living in the UK at the point of conducting the research.