Every day, we see our patients leave our office feeling happier, more comfortable, and more confident. We’ve always suspected that their new confidence has benefits at work, but now we have evidence to back up the hunch!
According to several recent studies, your dental health and hygiene can affect you in two ways on the job: firstly, through the appearance of your teeth, and secondly, through the way your self-consciousness about your smile can affect your behavior.
Anyone who has had to deal with a serious dental issue can understand how much it can affect a person’s confidence and self-image, and confidence in the workplace is the key to success in your interactions, efficient collaboration, and getting promotions. So can cosmetic dentistry help your career?
Your Smile and Your Job
A healthy, attractive smile makes you appear likeable, stable, and conscientious; unfortunately, it seems like the converse is also true: research shows that poor dental hygiene and crooked, unhealthy teeth can impact business opportunities.
A survey conducted by AXA reported that 48% of business owners and decision-makers say that poor dental health and hygiene would negatively affect their decision to do business with someone, and 44% said it would affect their decision to promote an employee, regardless of ability.
If that is the case, you may want to consider correcting those issues with whitening, porcelain veneers, Invisalign, implants, or other cosmetic dentistry treatments – investing in your smile may be well worth your while!
Clean, white teeth also make you look younger, healthier, and more vital – one study found that yellowed teeth made a model look 13 years older to the people surveyed. Likewise, flashing that healthy smile makes you look about 2 years younger than you do with a straight face.
Let Your Confidence Shine Through
Other research shows that your smile plays a key role in how you relate to your coworkers. One study illustrates that people naturally tend to mimic the smiles and smiling habits of their bosses at work, a practice that subtly helps build relationships in the workplace.
Another study found that genuine smiles help other people see that we’re trustworthy and open to cooperation, two traits that are key in business. Smiling is also proven to help you receive leniency, recover from mistakes, and deal with stress, all of which will help you on the job.
Appearing comfortable, confident, and happy may be especially important in customer service and sales jobs, and research even shows that the effect can be monetized: servers who smile receive higher tips, a lesson that many of us can apply in our careers.
When you’re on the job hunt, keep in mind that employers are interested in building a team that can work well together, and that your smile show them that you are comfortable, confident, capable and easygoing – the ideal new employee!
Whether you just need a cleaning and whitening treatment or something more serious like veneers or even implants, My Family Dentistry can help.
And most importantly, be confident! Take care of your teeth so you can be proud to show your smile to customers, coworkers, and employers, and enjoy reaping the workplace rewards!
Has your smile made you more confident at work? Let us know in the comments!
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