Does Dental Esthetics Have Any Influence on Finding a Job?

Almost all dental professionals can tell you that improving the alignment of your teeth and your bite will result in improved function and longevity of your teeth. A proper bite (occlusion) can improve biting, chewing, longevity, and the ability to clean your teeth.  However, most patients go through orthodontic treatment motivated by dental esthetics.  Most parents and patients understand the psychological and social gains from orthodontic treatment.  In addition to improving the function and esthetics of your teeth, a recent study asked the question . . . Can the esthetics of your smile have any influence on  finding a job?

The study, which was published in the Journal of  the American Association of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics,  asked that simple question. The methodology of the study was based off of a 2011 study by Henson et al, that looked at the influence of dental esthetics on the perceptions of adolescents with regard to various attributes. In the adolescent study the photographs of teens with ideal smiles were seen by their peers to have superior athletic performance, leadership capability, popularity, and academic performance.  The results indicated that orthodontic treatment not only resulted in improved esthetics but also might provide social benefits to these adolescents.

Using a similar methodology,  a hundred different human resources personal were asked to evaluate smiling facial photos of adults: one photo where their smile was ideal and one where it was not.  In fact, the patients had all had orthodontic  treatment and their own non-ideal smile was edited back into their smile so as to compare the same photograph of a person  with a different smile.

The hundred persons responsible for hiring staff for their companies were asked to evaluate the individuals on 4 criteria:  likelihood of being hired,  intelligence, honesty, and efficiency at work.  The results of the study showed that employers tended to rate the "job applicants" with ideal smiles as more intelligent and more likely to be hired.  Honesty and efficiency at work were not statistically different in either group. The study had another interesting finding: the older the evaluator the less likely they were to be influenced by the person's smile.  This result suggests that  the younger evaluators  may be more influenced by esthetics and the media.

This study , along with many others done before it, suggest that not only can orthodontic treatment improve the health of your teeth and  the function of your bite, but the improved esthetics also have social benefits. And according to this study, possibly monetary benefits as well.