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New media poses new dangers for many younger dental patients and, in particular, to their body image. There is now a generation of younger dental patients that have grown up entirely in the digital era where social media is just part of their normal life. Most of the images they are exposed to have some benefits, but others can pose significant risks for them. For instance, images are readily available to them of the supposed ‘ideal’ dental or facial appearance and sometimes accompanied by some alleged ‘quick fix’ to achieve dental or facial improvement. There are potential dangers of being exposed persistently to such highly idealized images in that many adolescents perceive that their happiness is largely dependent on achieving these artificially enhanced versions of alleged dental or facial beauty. There are dangers in some impressionable young people seeking elective interventions to improve their appearance in various ways which can have longer term mental or physical health consequences. Dentists need to be aware of these important issues in order to help younger people avoid various dangers and to help to safeguard their longer term dental and emotional health.
This article aims to provide professionals in various fields with recommendations on advising young patients about some of the dangers of spurious claims about ‘do-it-yourself’ dentistry or facial aesthetics, as well as helping them avoid destructive or unstable treatments, especially those of the ‘quick fix’ variety. Caution is advised in relation to dentists and young patients not believing unproven claims for some treatments.
CPD/Clinical Relevance: It is important to challenge unrealistic aspirations of some adolescents about their appearance early on, in order to help to manage those expectations more sensibly and thereby avoid later disappointment, complaints or litigation.
Article
Many younger people now regard their smile as a fashion statement. To possess the currently fashionable very white, even smile, many young people have had, or aspire to have, some ‘cosmetic’ dentistry done to achieve their preferred dental appearance.
The influences driving such desires are probably many and varied but may be partly related to new media in its various manifestations. Teenagers are bombarded with images in various media about supposed ‘beauty’ and how this can be achieved in different ways, including dentistry and various facial aesthetic procedures. Some of these images are carefully concealed, commercially driven advertorials for treatment promising instant gratification, but they often fail to draw adequate attention to the inherent dangers for someone's longer term facial or dental health.
Some questions that need to be addressed include:
Interestingly, there is, as yet, little convincing research published which has evaluated the wider or longer term negative impacts of social media on younger people. The aim of this article is to consider how social media influences body image concerns, with particular reference to paediatric dentistry. It will assess how social media might well have negative consequences for some vulnerable individuals, as well as for the dental profession and for society at large.
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