Selfie fans are more likely to hide their teeth than have an open mouth smile, a new survey shows.
Less than a third (29%) said they would pose for a photograph with an open smile, with discoloured teeth being the biggest reason (33%) for hiding teeth, a nationwide pole from the Oral Health Foundation and Oral-B said.
‘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,’ Dr Nigel Carter OBE, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, said.
‘Discoloured and crooked teeth are two of the biggest reasons identified for the lack of toothy smiles, but thankfully addressing these and taking care of our oral health is quite simple.
‘While most of us do choose to smile for a photo (75%), many 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% going for a grin compared to 68% of men.’
National Smile Month
The figures have been released as a part of National Smile Month to promote good oral health.
The poll also showed that 55% of UK adults admit to only brushing their teeth once a day, despite poor oral health stopping millions of people from showing their teeth when they smile.
‘A smile is an incredibly powerful tool and is worth remembering it is one we all possess; a simple smile can make others around you feel at ease, it’s highly contagious and plays such an important role in our lives that we should make our oral health top priority, it saddens us that not everyone has the confidence to show theirs off to its full potential,’ Dr Carter continued.
‘National Smile Month is a great opportunity for us to take a moment and think about our oral health and discover what we can do to improve it.’
Visit www.smilemonth.org to find out more information about National Smile Month.
