Better than a Mood Ring: What Your Smile Says About You

If you’ve ever watched a police procedural or heard a true crime podcast, you’re probably aware of the fact that people can be identified via their fingerprints or their DNA. This is because they’re different for everyone.

However, you might not know that the same can be said of your teeth. Everyone’s smile is slightly different, and moreover, can say a lot about you. In fact, a dentist can tell a lot about who a person is via their teeth. Here are just a few examples.

Age

As with most of the body, people’s teeth change a lot as they get older. You might have noticed your own smile yellow slightly as you’ve aged—as it turns out, this is normal. When people get older, the light-colored enamel grows thinner, exposing the darker layers of the tooth underneath.

While it’s not possible to grow back your enamel, there are cosmetic dental treatments like teeth whitening and veneers that may potentially turn back the clock on your smile.

Potential for Disease

It can be easy to think of the teeth as being entirely separate from the rest of the body, but the fact is that the condition of your oral health can have an influence on your likelihood of developing any of several other conditions.

Gum disease in particular has been associated with an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and even Alzheimer’s. For this reason, it’s important that you be diligent with your daily hygiene and talk to a dentist if you worry you may have gum disease.

Personality

It might sound surprising, but certain personality types are more likely to develop some oral health problems. This can potentially affect how your teeth look or behave.

Anxious or angry people, for example, tend to clench their jaw and grind their teeth quite often. Over time, this can potentially wear down the molars, affecting your ability to chew food. If this sounds like it might apply to you, you should talk to your dentist about a mouthguard to protect your teeth.

About Our Practice

For nearly four decades, the team here at Sunrise Dental Center has been helping members of our community smile their brightest. Just like your teeth reflect you, we believe that our dentistry should represent our values: integrity, respect, and compassion. When you visit our office, you’ll find a team that will attend to your every need, ensuring that you have everything you could want from your dental team.

If you have any questions about how to make your smile really shine, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (713) 869-9973.