Our teeth have a big impact on our appearance. Those who feel self-conscious about the appearance of their teeth because of poor dental health generally have a poor self-image.

If your dental health is poor, you may lack confidence in social situations and be reluctant to show your teeth in laughing and smiling. This detracts from your quality of life and can make everyday interactions involving dating and socializing difficult.

There are a few things you should be aware of about dental health and self-image if you’re concerned about the appearance of your smile. The following are three things to keep in mind.

Self confidence

Probably the most important area of your life that poor dental health impacts negatively is your self-confidence. You might not just feel self-conscious about your appearance with poor dental health, but also about other factors including whether you have bad breath.

Dental health’s effect on your self-confidence can easily detract from your success in life. Without the confidence of having a great looking smile, you won’t feel as comfortable introducing yourself to people. Every time you look in the mirror, your self-confidence will be negatively impacted and it will be hard to feel better about yourself if your dental health stays the same.

Discomfort

Poor dental health that results in gum and tooth pain can make you feel generally unhealthy. This is also damaging to your self-image. If you experience tooth pain, you won’t have as much freedom to enjoy the food your like and to have a comfortable mouth.

Possibility for improvement

Fortunately, you can resolve self-image problems caused by poor dental health with the help of your dentist.

If you’re dealing with orthodontic problems, you can consult an Invisalign dentist. You can improve the whiteness of your teeth through a cosmetic dentist. If you just wish to improve your dental health overall, you need to go to the dentist and have a thorough cleaning. There, the dentist will inspect your teeth and determine if you need additional work on your teeth.

It’s ultimately up to you to resolve your self-image issues resulting from dental health problems if know you have something like yellowed teeth or bad breath that needs to be addressed. There are many options dentists can provide when it comes to straightening your teeth, whitening your teeth, and generally improving your dental health and thereby your self-image.