Bullying And Cosmetic Dentistry

It is estimated that about 3.2 million students are victims of bullying in school each year. This has lead to about 160,000 students who skip school on a daily basis and about 10 percent of students who drop out of school altogether because of repeated bullying. The causes of bullying, whether physical, verbal, social or cyber bullying are varied but about 39 percent of those who are bullied are thought to face this problem because of the way they look.  

While there may be more than one criterion upon which a child might face bullying in regards to looks, one such possibility is that of aesthetic-related teeth anomalies. According to recent research, it is socially accepted that people with well-positioned incisors are more attractive, intelligent and adjusted, those with mild to moderate deformities are more likely to be the subject of taunts and ridicule from both school and family. If your child falls into this category, here are a couple of suggestions for you to consider.

Make some adjustments

The peek years for bullying are during middle school. Dental issues such as molar-incisor hypo mineralization (MIH), which can affect between 2.5 and 40 percent of children across the world, and amelogenesis imperfect (AI), can severely affect not just a child's self-esteem, during these years, but can make him/her a prime target for bullying. However, due to the advancements in dentistry over the past few years, it is possible to get almost any aesthetic dental problem fixed, while at the same time helping to inculcate healthy dental awareness and practice for a lifetime.

While cosmetic dental procedures may not be covered by health insurance, functional and restorative dentistry are, at least, partially covered. It is also possible to get help in paying for your child's dental care through third-party financing where you can make monthly payments that are suitable to your budget. This might be a good investment towards your child's security from bullying. 

Make some preparations

Outside of cosmetic dentistry, cosmetic surgery for children and teens, often as a result of bullying, has increased about 30 percent in the past decade. While you may not wish to get anything as drastic as plastic surgery for your child to decrease the incidents of bullying, there are other things that you can do to provide support to your child. This includes liaising with the school to introduce policies such as the no-tolerance approach to bullying, getting aides to travel on school buses to supervise the students and providing a forum for support for students who need help dealing with being different due to appearance. 

It is also necessary to teach your children the value of seeing themselves as beautiful and special so that their source of self-esteem does not stem from other people. Teach them too how to appreciate others and treat them with respect. If each parent became more active, there might be more success in the fight against bullying in schools. 

For more information about cosmetic dentistry, contact a practice like Adams Dental Center.