The Final Touches On A Healthy, Beautiful Smile

Over the years I have also seen many young children suffering from toothaches who have difficulty expressing their discomfort. Sensing the awkwardness, her aunt quickly said, Sofia is a little shy. To which I replied, That’s okay. From my experience, shy people are often incredibly smart, and from what I could see in her drawings, Sofia is also incredibly talented. Then I went on explaining how I was an artist, too, except my art was making beautiful smiles. But there was a sense of sadness expressed in all of her pictures. The scars around her mouth made her skin so tight that I could barely get a dental mirror in there. The years of neglect were immediately obvious. Sofia had rampant tooth decay, missing and crooked teeth, and an overbite. During the next 18 months, I watched the transformation in her smile and in her personality happen in unison. And I could see that change in her art. Dark, sad drawings gave way to more colorful, happy ones.

The Hand That Feeds

When she finally moved away a few years later, she had grown into a confident girl with a future full of possibilities ahead of her. I kept the last drawing she gave me in my office, and I cherish it to this day. It may come as no surprise that the number one reason children are singled out for bullying is crooked, discolored, or rotting teeth. Kids who have underbites may be teased for looking mean. And often, the cascade of negative impacts can result in behavior problems, including bullying! So, unhealthy teeth and mouths can be to blame on both sides of the bullying equation. Before being diagnosed, they simply endured their agony, not knowing that it could be corrected. And the poor parents, as close as they are to their kids, had no idea that their children were suffering. Whether or not anybody knows about it, chronic pain can interfere with a child’s ability to sleep, affecting behavior, appetite, and concentration. Tired kids are prone to explosive tempers, easily hurt feelings, and accidents. Without a doubt, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, and pain cause children to perform badly in school. And, of course, children with toothaches or sleep deprivation find it difficult to sit still and listen. And so begins many a child’s life in America.

What's Going On?

They get medicated, treated badly, or teased. They start to believe that their inability to concentrate is because they’re deficient or stupid. If they could just try harder, they are constantly told, they could do better, and yet they just can’t seem to get it together. They feel sad, lonely, and worthless. As they grow, the problems compound. They withdraw or act out, become bullies, turn to drugs, or get into trouble with the law. It’s tragic because it didn’t have to be that way. If you are a parent, you can break this negative cycle by taking your child to the dentist regularly, by making sure your child brushes and flosses, and by helping them build positive associations with their oral health. Kids’ mouths are flexible and malleable. Often, if treated early, mouths and teeth will begin to grow correctly with minimal intervention. As the saying goes, An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In light of all that you’ve just learned about the incredible power of a healthy smile, it should be getting clearer just how far a little prevention can go.

Slight Discrepancies

Today’s children face a plethora of challenges that force them to grow up too quickly. As a result, today’s overwhelmed teens report being even more stressed than adults, with such negative results as impaired memories, weakened cognitive control, reduced learning ability, and poor emotional control. Psychological health can be hard to track. Cildren simply arrive at the orthodontist too late, long after their bones have fused and skeletal growth is complete, when straightening crowded teeth is the only option. Sometimes parents and orthodontists are concerned with the aesthetics of straight teeth but don’t appreciate how the underlying skeletal structure of the mouth can impact the end result. Details really matter. There are more than 7.8 billion people on this planet. It’s all about those minute variations. Once all of that has been taken care of, straightening the teeth puts the final touches on a healthy, beautiful smile. I always tell my patients, other than the parents, the person who will really affect what a child looks like for the rest of their life is the orthodontist. Of course, you cannot select your parents, but you can definitely select your orthodontist. Studies show that people with nice smiles also tend to have nice eyes, a correlation that is both physical and psychological. Psychologically, when you smile with confidence, your eyes reflect your inner feelings. Once again, it’s all related. We don’t like to admit it, but in our society, the way we look is important. Let’s think about peacocks for a second. The more dazzling the plumage, the more desirable the bird. For humans, a healthy, beautiful smile is one of those traits. Good teeth are an excellent indicator of desirability. They provide enough room for all the teeth, which helps with the fullness of the lips. A correct bite leads to better chewing and less dental wear, but also results in facial balance and a proportional profile with the nose, lips, and chin in harmony. Amazingly, in many ways, they don’t. A skilled orthodontist has the knowledge and the tools to affect all of those facial features. There is a great deal of shame around appearances in our culture and tremendous pressure to look good. This is especially true for women. Just look at the cult of celebrity. Besides being generally fit, coiffed, and well dressed, what is the one thing American celebrities have in common? Whether we like it or not, physical looks affect our lives in profound ways. When someone feels confident, they are more likely to be perceived as happier, more attractive, more successful, and smarter.