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Don't Let Dieting Impact Your Oral Health

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Don't Let Dieting Impact Your Oral Health

Like many people who need to lose a few pounds, I try diet after diet in an attempt to find one that finally works for me. I learned the hard way that I need to make sure any diet will not harm my teeth, even if it does help me lose a few pounds. I learned this lesson when following a grapefruit diet. There are many versions of this, but the version I tried had me eat a grapefruit alone several times each day. It was supposed to suppress my appetite. I helped keep me from munching on unhealthy snacks, but the acid in the fruit took a toll on my tooth enamel and I quickly started getting lots of cavities. I created this blog to remind people that change up their diets often to make sure the foods they are eating are not harming their teeth.

Understanding How A Poor Smile Contributes To Dreams Of Tooth Loss And Unhappiness In Waking Life

14 January 2015
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

There is an interesting link between a person's teeth and social confidence. Often, social anxieties are revealed in dreams about tooth loss, but strangely enough, these dreams and the social anxieties that cause them can sometimes be traced to a person's aesthetically unpleasing smile.

People Frequently Dream About Losing Teeth

Sigmund Freud is one of the most widely recognized and respected psychoanalysts. In 1900, he published a book dubbed "The Interpretation of Dreams." In it, he explained that people can use their dreams as a method of self-analysis, and that certain themes or objects in dreams were symbolic of things in waking life.

Now, over a century later, psychologists still place great weight on the importance of dreams. One of the most common dreams that people have revolves around the dreamer's teeth falling out. Even though symbols in dreams must be interpreted on a personal level, some common dreams have, to some extent, universal meaning--including dreams of losing teeth.

When a person loses teeth in a dream, it is usually symbolic of some kind of anxiety in waking life. Most commonly, this anxiety stems from fears of how others perceive the dreamer, fears of being viewed as unattractive, and fears of powerlessness. This universal symbolism behind dreaming of losing teeth is a testament to how much weight Americans place on good teeth. 

People Frequently Judge Others by Their Teeth

It is no wonder why these universal themes are linked to dreams about tooth loss: in real life as in slumber, good teeth are associated with attractiveness, success, and desirability. In one study, almost one third of the people surveyed reported that the first characteristic they notice in another person is that person's teeth. Survey respondents also revealed that they  believed people with nice teeth to be over two times as likely to be successful and to get more dates than those with crooked teeth.

Even though it sounds superficial, fixing the appearance of teeth can make a staunch difference in many areas of a person's life. Regardless of how attractive, successful, wealthy, or trustworthy a person might be, people in today's society subconsciously form opinions based on a person's smile. 

Pulling it All Together

The link between a person's dream of losing teeth and the weight that society places on a person's smile should not be ignored. Social anxieties can stem from bad teeth and a poor smile, and in turn, these fears are often revealed in dreams of tooth loss. Options like cosmetic dentistry can help a person attain a beautiful smile and truly accomplish a happier waking--and sleeping--life.