After suffering an accident resulting in a mouth trauma resulting in missing tooth or teeth, there is usually a desire to restore the smile to its original state. A patient will weigh their options and decide if dental implants are worth the effort and money. Before making any decisions regarding a cosmetic upgrade, patients should consider all factors regarding an implant. The first question before any implant should be:
“Is it necessary?”
That personal decision should be informed first by what’s staring at you when you look in the mirror. Your own happiness with what you see is most important. However, while we shouldn’t care about others’ opinions, there are times when we simply aren’t aware of what we’re unwittingly “saying” to the rest of the world. For instance, even if you don’t care about the office’s opinion of your eccentric Christmas sweater, you’d probably appreciate knowing that a small hole has started to unravel at the small of your back.
With this in mind, listening to feedback from trusted voices will let you know exactly how you are being perceived. The only reason it would matter is if what you’re being told isn’t what you want. Don’t listen to everybody, but a select few people will help you either gauge how unnoticeable the damage to your teeth is. Or just how distracting the tooth, or lack thereof, would be if left unattended.
Your job will also have a huge impact on any decision. When dealing with the public in a customer service role, it’s the one time when others’ opinions are first priority. Teeth that are uncared for can be saying something to clients that the business does not want to convey. It’s not an indictment of character, but just an impression or question that a client may unconsciously carry into their buying decisions:
“What happened to this person’s tooth? Were they in a fight?”
May sound silly, but I’m sure hiring decisions have been made on this basis. So if you’re weighing your options and considering dental implants, it’s good to consider the impact they will have on your daily life. No matter what the decision, it’s always best to be aware of what not getting the implants will mean for you. One sure bonus to a new implant will be the confidence it will give you via a restored smile.
