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Should You Have Your Child’s Teeth Whitened?

A beautiful smile that reveals pearly white teeth is one of the most important assets a person can have in life. The following are reasons why you should give your child the gift of gorgeous white teeth.

Socialization and the Human Smile

Human beings are social creatures. During social interactions, we instinctively and unconsciously mimic each other’s body postures and facial expressions. When we look at a beautiful smile, brain areas that are associated with pleasure are activated. The same is true when we smile ourselves. Research shows that our moods are elevated even by smiles that are artificially created (such as biting a pencil). Therefore the human smile is an indispensable social mechanism that facilitates bonding and cooperation by releasing endorphins (natural feel good brain chemicals) every time we smile and see others smile.

Childhood Is the Most Crucial Stage

When your conversation partner smiles, you are compelled to reciprocate with a smile of your own. But if you’re self-conscious about having yellow teeth, your anxiety will not only significantly dampen your smile but also the mood of the conversation. Now look at it from your child’s perspective. As children age, they become increasingly self-conscious about their appearance, which peeks during adolescence. This is a stage where children explore what it’s like to be semi-independent and try to establish connections with the outside world. It’s also a stage where a child’s confidence can be either enhanced or destroyed by his or her physical appearance. A social rejection that’s due to unclean teeth could be traumatic for a young mind. Any disadvantages and difficulties during this crucial period could have unforeseen consequences for your child’s future.

Deeper Than Appearance

Because we are social beings, our sense of identity and self-worth is deeply tied to how we are perceived in the eyes of others. This is especially true for children who easily internalize the negativity of others and blame themselves for their troubles. A smile with beautiful pearly teeth isn’t just about appearances, it’s really about the confidence that it creates within your child. Unfortunately having yellow teeth is indelibly associated with sickness and low social status. Even though your child is healthy and smart, his or her social status will be negatively impacted by dirty teeth. Cruel and unfair though it may be, this is a fact of life. Don’t let unattractive teeth be the reason that your son’s confidence is not as high as it should be. And don’t allow yellow teeth be the reason that your daughter feels lonely because she thinks everyone at school is judgmental about her teeth.

The Utility of White Teeth

Aside from improvements in appearance, having clean white teeth helps children to keep up their dental hygiene. Once your child notices all the social benefits that come from have a beautiful smile, you child will have more than enough motivation to continue to keep his or her teeth clean and healthy. Gone are the days when you have to worry about getting your child to brush or floss. A valuable lesson can also be learned from this. After your child has learned about all the benefits that come with self-improvement in this domain, he or she will be able to generalize from this experience and apply it to other areas of life, such as sports and academics.

There is nothing but upsides when it comes to possessing a mouthful of gorgeous white teeth. If your family lives in the Chino area, appoint a meeting with the child dental experts at Kids Dental Specialists.

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