It’s 2022 and we’re a world that’s becoming more and more obsessed with the way we look. Social media has its benefits for sure, but it also comes with a trainload of social pressures to look a certain way. Perfect hair, perfect body, perfect teeth. We’re surrounded by these images of what someone else is telling us is perfect. Is this good for us? And if we saw less sparkly smiles would we feel less self-conscious about ours?
When Did It All Begin?
The first orthodontic treatment dates back to 1900, and since then the orthodontic industry has been in a constant revolution discovering better, cheaper, cooler ways to help us straighten out our teeth. The dental cosmetic industry is second only to surgical cosmetic surgery when it comes to annual income so it's fair to say there are more than enough of us investing precious time and money into our teeth. But why?
Why Do We Care So Much?
It’s hard to pin this down to one thing as multiple things are going on here. We’d be naive to think that a very large part of our dental insecurity was sold to us by men in tall buildings and big suits. Anything that means we need to pay to correct is going to be advertised to us. Just as cellulite was in the 1950s! Fun fact, in an issue of vogue in the 1930s they did a massive spread on cellulite and how to get rid of it, until then it wasn’t a thing!
Then of course there’s just human nature, wanting what you don’t have. Seeing someone else flashing a perfect set of pearls is going to activate some form of ugly jealousy in our bodies, that’s very much in our nature. At the end of the day, we’re still animals that want to attract the best mate. Good teeth help with this and it has been reported that over half of Americans wouldn’t go on a second date with someone with wonky teeth. Fact.
Also with balance in mind, it’s worth noting that there’s also a heap of reasons why straightening your teeth is good for you physically and can aid the health of your teeth long term. Straighter teeth are easier to clean and are less likely to give you jaw tension or teeth-grinding issues. In cases where misalignment is hindering chewing, correcting your teeth could help you with your digestion.
What Can Be Done
As we’ve said there are now amazing options for teeth straightening including clear braces Clapham. Clear braces Clapham are invisible braces that are both practically great but also visually subtle. They’re fast becoming a leader when it comes to orthodontics.
There is of course always the option to go against the herd and leave your teeth as they are. The more we strive for inclusivity in other areas of our social construct the more likely an open mind is going to weave into other areas of society too and who knows maybe one-day having wonky teeth will be the cool thing.
