Majority of Irish people think good teeth will improve life

Most people in Ireland believe that improving their teeth would improve their careers and relationships, according to a new survey.

The survey – conducted last month by The James Clinic, a leading Irish dental chain – revealed that the majority of respondents (53.8%) agreed that good teeth and a great smile were important to them because it made them feel more confident, while 19.2% said it didn’t really concern them one way or the other.

A total of 18.6% said having good teeth could possibly help their confidence, while 8.3% disagreed with the sentiment that good teeth and a great smile were important.

Of those who responded to the survey, 28% said they ‘definitely’ held the view that having cosmetic dentistry procedures, such as crowns or veneers, would go a long way towards improving their personal appearance and help their career and relationships. This compared with 26.7%, who said they believed it was ‘probably’ true that better teeth would be good for them, while 24.7% disagreed and 20.7% did not have an opinion.

As for how happy, or satisfied, respondents were with their teeth as they currently are, 42.7% said they were perfectly content with them. But 34% said they were ‘a bit insecure about how they look’, while 12.7% said their teeth were the feature they most wished they could fix, with 10.7% saying they ‘hate how my teeth look’.

Overall, most survey respondents said that cosmetic dentistry was a good thing to improve someone’s overall look, with 33.5% saying ‘maybe’ it was, and 32.9% agreeing with the view that it was ‘definitely’ beneficial.

Some people (17.4%) held the view that natural teeth untouched by cosmetic dentistry were much better. However, 16.2% didn’t know and were not sure about the benefits.

Asked if they would consider having cosmetic dentistry (such as crowns or veneers) if cost was not an issue, 38.4% said ‘absolutely’, while 27% said no, they liked their teeth as they were – 20.1% said they weren’t sure, but would probably go ahead. Finally, a total of 14.5% said: ‘why not?’