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Cosmetic Dentistry And Its Impact On American Society

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According to American Dental Association, on the continent of North America, more than 1 million people had braces in 2015. The ADA reported that number to be 4 million in 2016, proving that the field of orthodontics is a rapidly growing industry. A modern debate in the field of dentistry is cosmetic dentistry and its recent rise in popularity. The United States of America, in particular, has gained a reputation for being overzealous in the pursuit of “perfect” teeth. In Europe, cosmetic dentistry is thought of as a collection of very unnatural procedures, not unlike breast enhancement, Botox, etc. While it is obvious that British and American society are distinguishable in many ways, Professor Jimmy Steele of the School of Dental Science …show more content…

The questionnaire was conducted with students from my English Composition course and my General Chemistry II course and was distributed through text and email. The respondents were asked a series of open and closed questions about their personal experiences with braces. Intermixed were questions based solely on whether or not there were any feelings of pressure when it came to the decision of whether or not to get braces.
For a more in-depth field research, I interviewed two girls who had previously had braces and got insight on their personal experiences with braces as well as their personal opinions on the relationship between societal expectations of beauty and having straight teeth. There were 3 groups of questions given chronologically based on a basic timeline of “Before Braces”, “During Braces”, and “After Braces”. The first group of questions, “Before Braces”, set up the background of their orthodontic experience, the duration, the reason, the decision-making process, etc. “During Braces” was the second and smallest group of questions and it was meant to give insight into the procedure itself and the length and pain endured. Finally, the “After Braces” set was more opinionated and looked at the overall experience. Between the two forms of field research, I collected enough information to make inferences based on my research.
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