More than one-third of American adults are unhappy with their smile, according to a new survey commissioned by the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) and conducted by Wakefield Research.
Of those surveyed who are unhappy with the appearance of their teeth, 36% believe they would have a better social life if they had better teeth. Bad teeth also represented the biggest dating turnoff among men and women. According to the study, 77% of women think crooked teeth are worse than a receding hairline in a potential love interest. The study also found that 22% of those who are unhappy with their smile think that better teeth would lead to a better love life.
On a professional level, 78% of survey participants perceive adults with crooked teeth to be unsuccessful, while 14% of those unhappy with their teeth felt that they might be missing out on a better job.
The survey queried 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18 and older between September 21 and September 25, 2012, with a margin of error of ± 3.1 percentage points.
