Mokoia Road Dental Centre

First Impressions Last

Autumn

First impressions last.  Your smile is the first thing people notice and it has an instant impact on them.  A recent survey shows the most important men notice in women is her teeth. Forget fancy clothes, pricey hair salon and uncomfortable high heels, a confident and attractive smile tops the lists. Because our teeth are constantly “exposed” to the people around us, people do judge you on that basis.  I came across an article recently, showing that “Even fact will not change First Impressions” .  So, all those years of constant nagging from the dentist, faithful six monthly reminders from the receptionist….. the dentists are actually helping.

What is a beautiful smile ? Definitely not too glarely. My definition of a beautiful smile is one that looks healthy, clean, bright and straight (nicely proportioned). And it comes in this order.  A nice wide and beautiful smiles makes you look friendly and inviting. On the contrary, discolored teeth, poor oral hygiene and bad breath can reflect poor health and excessive smoking or drinking.   Unfortunately, due to our hectic lifestyle, dental care is at the bottom of lists. And usually when people come to the dentist, it’s a bit too late.

Remember, your teeth/smile are constantly putting on show, why not make it attractive and inviting ? First impressions last.

Tooth loss linked to Depression and Anxiety

Winter

An interesting study which linked between “Tooth loss” and “Depression, Anxiety” was presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) recently.  Dr. RC Wiener from West Virginia University presented her research study titled “Association of Tooth Loss and Depression and Anxiety.”  The study was carried out using The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Survey.  Approximately 77000 participants from the age of 19 took part in the study.  From the data collected, it was broken down into three different categories (1) Depression  (2) Anxiety and (3) A category labeled Depression/Anxiety. Analysis of the data indicated that there was a significant difference between tooth loss in people who experienced depression and/or anxiety and people who did not have depression and/or anxiety. Based on this result, it was concluded that tooth loss may be associated with depression and anxiety.

If you think about it, it does make sense.  Individuals who are dental-phobic or dentist-phobic skip their regular dental checkups. By the time they turn up at the dentist office, it is normally too late to simply repair the tooth with a filling.  Either they need an extraction or the expensive root canal treatment. Most of the time these people, already not too willing to be at the dentist office, will choose the quick way out: Extraction. Individuals with depression, however, may be negligent in self-care themselves. Tooth loss then, in the long term, is inevitable.  Having multiple missing teeth may makes the individual even more depressed!

Do you have dental issues that we can help before it is too late?  Why not deal with it today so that we can avoid even more problems in the future? At Mokoia Road Dental Centre, our dentists and staffs are passionate with what we do. We love to help maintaining and keeping your teeth healthy and beautiful for life. Keep Smiling ! (with your own teeth of course)