Can Your Smile Determine Your Social Status?
Date: May 14, 2014Category: Author: Infinity Dental Web
More important than ever before is the answer! Good teeth are not only an indicator of attractiveness, but a sign of social (and economic) status — and possibly your way into a new job.
According to a survey USA Today took of 5,500 single adults in the United States, the first factor both men and women judge in a potential partner is their teeth. Can you believe it? Good teeth are now considered a ‘must have’ for both men and women when it comes to dating in America.
But now the pressure to have ‘good teeth’ is reaching beyond the world of dating. Malcolm Gladwell, a writer and social scientist, told The Times that it is obesity and teeth that are “becoming the new benchmark of inequality.” It’s true — there are certain stereotypes people make about someone based on their teeth: whether if they are lower or middle class, what ethnic background they may have, how much money they earn.
Gladwell has determined a lower chance of success for those who suffer from obesity and bad teeth as they tend to be ‘denied’ certain ‘entry-level’ jobs (DailyMail).
The problem here is primarily with stereotyping individuals who are overweight with poor dental health. People draw inferences from an overweight person: that they are lazy, gluttonous, depressed, unmotivated, etc. The same goes with those with bad teeth: lazy, un-hygienic, poor, etc. These assumptions are drawn based on the appearance of an individual are ones that will cause a potential employer to avoid hiring one great potential candidate over another candidate who is of a normal weight with a better looking smile.
This rise in discrimination of people with bad teeth has raised some concerns of sociological inequality, especially in places like Britain where there is a large population of people who don’t have access to dental healthcare. A poll conducted in England in 2013 by VisionCritical found that people assumed those with whiter teeth were wealthier; not only that, the survey found that people with whiter teeth were assumed to earn more than £10,000 pounds than those with not as sightly smiles.
The VisionCritical survey also found that people with bright, white smiles were believed to be five years younger than they actually were. Also, their bright white smiles “improved their employment potential by 10 per cent, results showed” according to the DailyMail.
In Britain where the standard of dental health is generally poor, the solution to this socio-economic inequality is not clear. In the US, with the rise of government healthcare, one can only hope this will become less of a problem for Americans in the future.
Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.