Are you having a hard time with your appearance? Are you looking in the mirror and not liking what you see? Do you think you are not attractive enough? Are you questioning what you can change about yourself? Are you questioning what you can do or change so that people will find you attractive? Some people immediately think about losing weight. There is no need to transform your entire body. Why not just focus on your smile? A beautiful smile can make you feel attractive and therefore boost your confidence. Think about these three points below.

• Healthy teeth (bad oral hygiene, plaque, discolored or missing teeth)

Good oral hygiene is a basic necessity for your teeth to be attractive.  If you are missing teeth or have discolored or plaque-covered teeth, then is obvious that people who look at you will be put off by your appearance and find you unattractive.  A study called ‘POWER OF THE SMILE’ showed that people with unattractive smiles were perceived to be less trustworthy and less intelligent than people with healthy, attractive smiles.

• Crooked teeth (misalignment of teeth)

Not having the proper alignment of your teeth is detrimental to your look (symmetry of your smile) and your ability to properly clean and take care of your teeth. If your teeth are crooked, you do not have proper spacing between teeth, which can cause some of your tooth surfaces to be unreachable by your toothbrush. This can then lead to tooth disease and problems such as bad breath, plaque buildup, cavities, bone loss, gum disease, and even tooth loss!

• Facial imbalance (teeth not landing properly or midline being off-centered)

The face and body are created with bilateral symmetry. This means that if you were to draw a straight line down the middle of the body from the head, you would have two equal sides. Each side would have one ear, eye, eyebrow, arm, leg, etc. This symmetry is one of the things that our subconscious mind looks for when looking at other people and determining if they are attractive. The face also has its own symmetry, which is divided in the middle of your face by your nose. Your teeth are also subject to the same symmetrical eye test.  The mouth is supposed to have 28 permanent teeth (not including wisdom teeth). Your central or “front teeth” are supposed to be in a central position among your teeth and your face.  Again, the whole bilateral symmetry concept comes into play with your teeth. Simply put, the middle of your smile should align with the center of your face. If not, you will appear asymmetrical or “odd” to the person looking at you.

As found in the ‘POWER OF THE SMILE’ study, “bad teeth” make one seem untrustworthy, unintelligent, or even unattractive. No one wants to be seen or thought of as unattractive, unintelligent, or even untrustworthy. If you have any of these problems, such as missing, crooked, or discolored teeth, bad breath, etc., you will want to take care of them as soon as possible. It will put you on the right track to feeling better about yourself, and you will have a beautiful smile that will boost your confidence.