Braces won’t guarantee happiness, self-confidence

Braces can help you get straight teeth but it may not always bring happiness and self-confidence, a study suggests.

Published in the journal Orthodontics and CraniofacialResearch, the study followed 448 13-year-old kids from South Australia in 1988and 1989. By the time that they turned 30 in 2005 and 2006 more than a third ofthem had received orthodontic treatment.

   

“The study, examined if having braces lead to a greaterlevel of happiness or psychosocial outcomes, later in life. There was a patternof higher psychosocial scores in people who did not have orthodontic treatmentmeaning people who hadn’t had braces fitted were significantly more optimisticthan the ones that did have braces,” said EsmaDogramaci, Professor at theUniversity of Adelaide.

“Those who didn’t have braces had varying levels ofcrooked teeth, just like those who had braces treatment — ranging from mildthrough to very severe,” Dogramaci said.

The study looked at four psychosocial aspects: how wellpeople felt they coped with new or difficult situations and associatedsetbacks; how much they felt that could take care of their own health; theperson believed that the support they received was from their personal networkand their own level of optimism.

“These indicators were chosen because they areimportant for psychosocial functioning and are relevant to health behavioursand health outcomes; since the core research question was the impact of bracestreatment on patients’ self-confidence and happiness in later life,”Dogramaci added.

During the study, dental student Alex Furlan, who has neverhad braces fitted: “My orthodontist recommended that I have braces fittedbut I’m quite happy without them.”I’ve never felt the need to straighten myteeth – I can get on in life without having perfectly straight teeth.”

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