Life

Ask the Dentist: How to put the smile back in your selfie

Dentist Lucy Stock at Dental Care in Belfast says many of us won't smile for a snap because of the state of our teeth

Many people admit to not smiling in photos due to being self-conscious about their teeth
Many people admit to not smiling in photos due to being self-conscious about their teeth Many people admit to not smiling in photos due to being self-conscious about their teeth

WHILE the majority of us are more than happy to smile for the camera, we are not so keen on putting our gnashers on display when it comes to saying "cheese", according to a new poll from the Oral Health Foundation and Oral-B.

Less than a third (29 per cent) of respondents said they were likely to pose for a photograph with an open-mouth smile, with findings showing that discoloured teeth are the biggest reason we are not flashing our pearly whites (33 per cent).

But despite these stats, we still do not brush our teeth twice a day, with over half (55 per cent) of adults admitting that they only brush once a day!

Interestingly, the poll also shows that despite being popular among celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Joey Essex, the duck pout has not yet caught on with the public, with only 2 per cent saying it is their go-to selfie pose. In the UK an estimated 17 million selfies are posted every week on social media, but there is a distinct lack of teeth-revealing smiles among them.

Most of us have a camera in our pocket everywhere we go now and with the quality of phone cameras constantly increasing, more and more of us are worried about our appearance, especially it seems the state of our teeth.

While most of us do choose to smile for a photo (75 per cent) most of us are opting not to show our teeth. Interestingly, the research has also revealed that women are far more likely to smile for a photo than men; with more than 80 per cent going for a grin compared to 68 per cent of men.

It's seriously concerning that poor oral health is stopping millions of people from smiling. A smile is an incredibly powerful tool and its worth remembering that we all possess one; a simple smile can make others around you feel at ease and it's highly contagious.

Smiling plays such an important role in our lives that we should make our oral health a priority. Brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, cut down on how often you eat sugary foods and drinks, and have regular dental visits if you want to put the smile back in your selfie.