The Psychological Benefits of Improving Your Smile

Anyone who has dealt with the embarrassment of missing, crooked, or discolored teeth knows the psychological benefits of improving your smile. Your smile is the first impression others have of you.  It can affect how others perceive you, and treat you.

Your smile can also greatly affect your confidence.  If you are not confident about your smile, it is difficult to eat, chew, talk, and laugh confidently.  This can have a large affect on your dating life, job interviews, and daily interactions with others.

A recent study published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery assessed how surgical-orthodontic treatment affected patients’ psychosocial well-being.  The study, titled “Motives for Surgical-Orthodontic Treatment and Effect of Treatment on Psychosocial Well-Being and Satisfaction: A Prospective Study of 118 Patients,” evaluated patients’ treatment motivations and motive fulfillment in relation to their satisfaction with the treatment.  It then assessed the correlation between their satisfaction and their psychosocial well-being.

Patients in the study stated that oral function and appearance were their main treatment motives, and most patients reported that their motives had been fulfilled.  Another significant outcome of the treatment was improved self-concept and social interaction.

The study concluded that surgical-orthodontic treatment can potentially significantly improve patients’ psychosocial well-being.   It is important to note that pretreatment motives significantly influenced the overall satisfaction after treatment, and that patients who weighted oral function motives the heaviest expressed the lowest degree of treatment satisfaction.

Advances in Oral Surgery have produced revolutionary procedures such as dental implants and teeth-in-an-hour that greatly expand treatment options for patients with missing, decaying, or diseased teeth.  If you are interested in improving your smile through oral-orthodontic treatment, contact a licensed Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon today.