“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
The perfect smile—as defined by this guide—is one that is clean, white, and desired by others. Developed by Kelton Research, a unique digital perception 2017 study contrasted images of men and women with straight and crooked teeth. Here are some of the images they used:
The survey was taken by 1,047 nationally representative Americans who were shown images of people with varying tooth issues and then asked to give their honest opinion about them, unaware that they were comparing people with straight teeth to crooked teeth.
The perception study reinforced the effect crooked, unclean teeth can have on one’s social life and how they are perceived by others, including:
- Making a Lasting impression: Nearly one-third (29%) of Americans say the first aspect of someone’s face they typically notice is his or her teeth, and 24% say this is also the facial aspect that they remember the most after meeting someone.
- Straight Teeth = Success: Americans perceive those with straight teeth to be 45% more likely than those with crooked teeth to get a job when competing with someone who has a similar skill set and experience. They are also seen as 58% more likely to be successful, as well as 58% more likely to be wealthy.
- Love at First Sight: Those with straight teeth are seen as 57% more likely than those with crooked teeth to get a date based on their picture alone.
- Crooked Teeth = Dull Social Life: Nearly two in five (38%) Americans would consider not going on a second date with someone who has misaligned teeth. Far fewer would ditch someone who lives with his or her parents (23%).
- Straight Teeth = Good Personality: Those with straight teeth are 21% more likely to be seen as happy, 47% more likely to be viewed as being healthy, and 38% more likely to be perceived as smart.
- A Nice Smile Goes a Long Way: Nearly three in four (73%) Americans would be more likely to trust someone with a nice smile than someone with a good job, outfit, or car.
- The Want List: Close to three in five (57%) Americans would rather have a nice smile than clear skin. What’s more, 87% would forego something for a year in order to have a nice smile for the rest of their life; more than one-third of these folks would give up dessert (39%) or vacations (37%).
All the fancy data above boils down to something quite obvious: A nice smile is nice to look at. But besides looking great, a clean smile is correlated with better health.
Researchers have known for a while that there's a synergic relationship between oral health and overall physical health. Gum disease is linked to a host of illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis [1, 2, 3, 4]. By combing through 1,000-plus medical histories, researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry found that people with gum disease were twice as likely as others to die from a heart attack and three times as likely to have a stroke [1].
The perfect smile isn't just the one that looks the best. It is one that readies its owner for everything that life will through at them mentally, emotionally, and other. If you're curious as to what the perfect smile should look like, check out the image below:
Forget that her teeth are perfectly aligned, they're blinding white and more importantly, not a nuisance to look at. Your teeth can look like hers in about one to two years—depending on how well you follow this guide. Let's get started.
2. Condensed Review