We practise emergency dentistry, pediatric dentistry and general dentistry in our Perth area office. Ideally, a child starts regular visits to the dentist at an early age and continues to protect the health of their teeth and gums for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, a lot of people get sidetracked.
When you don’t take care of your dental health, it can have negative consequences in your life. Not only can it cause tooth decay, tooth loss, gum disease and heart disease, it can also affect your appearance. It might not be fair, but we are all judged by our appearance every day.
Here is a summary of various research which reveals some of the ways appearance affects everyone’s lives.
The Perks of Being Attractive
Numerous studies have proven that attractive children tend to be more popular and are treated better by their classmates. In addition, teachers tend to evaluate attractive children higher for the same work than those less attractive and expect them to perform better.
When applying for jobs, attractive people have a huge advantage. Not only are they more likely to be hired, but they are also paid more. In court, an attractive person is less likely to be found guilty than an unattractive one. On the occasions when attractive people are found guilty, they tend to receive lighter sentences.
Virtually every study ever done on attractiveness in any social situation demonstrates that attractive people are treated better than those judged to be “unattractive.”
A large majority of people believe a stereotype in which everything that is beautiful is good and that which is ugly is bad. Physically attractive people are routinely credited with qualities such as intellect, social skills, competence, confidence and moral virtue. The classic example is the “Good Witch” who is beautiful and the “Wicked Witch” who is ugly.
Deeply Ingrained Across Many Cultures
Every culture has its own definitions of beauty. In classic Greece and Rome, heavier women were seen as “beautiful.” In the 19th century, women wore corsets which caused them to have digestive and breathing problems. The current standard of “beauty” requires that women diet to remove “excess” weight.
The Media Play a Role
The media play a huge role in our standards of what we deem to be attractive. The standards have become more rigid and uniform with every passing generation. When we watch TV, read magazines or look at billboards, everyone in them is attractive. Even though most who make it in the entertainment and modeling fields are in the 98th or 99th percentile of beauty, we expect everyone to be that attractive because we perceive what we see in the media as “normal.”
The current expectation for body weight in relation to height in women is attainable by an estimated 5% of the female population, thanks to models and actresses who starve themselves to keep their appearance marketable. Currently, beauty queens and top models weigh 23% less than the average woman.
What You Can’t Control
You can’t control your genetics. You may be born with a “perfect,” symmetrical face and a body that doesn’t gain weight, like every skinny person you ever saw walk out of the bakery with their arms full. You may have been born with a face that isn’t immediately seen as attractive. You may have been born with a body that “gains weight when you even look at food.”
You Can Control Your Smile
The one thing you can control is what you do with what you have. You can control your smile. You can control your smile by keeping your teeth healthy and white. As you age, if you lose a tooth, you can get a dental implant to ensure that you aren’t running around with a gap in your smile that may cause people to underrate your intellect or standing in life.
See a Dentist today
If you want to take control of your smile, call eDental today. We can get you started on a dental treatment program that can give you a great smile for an entire lifetime. Call 1300 467 112
