Professor Colin Jones, author of The Smile Revolution, has a very interesting theory: Technology has totally changed the “culture of the smile.”
As reported on by The Telegraph, Jones pinpoints the “duck face,” in particular, saying it has replaced the “Cheshire cat” smile.
“The world of the selfie, the wonder of narcissism, the selfie-stick and the way that seems to make the smile absolutely everywhere. It is the way in which we establish our authenticity in the world.”
But not everyone agrees the popularity of social media is necessarily a bad thing for the smile, and much like with plastic surgery—the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reports that 42 percent of plastic surgeons say patients seek cosmetic treatments to look better in selfies, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook Live and other social channels—it’s only doing good things for the dental industry.
“I think, for the most part, it [social media] is a good thing,” says San Francisco cosmetic dentist Niloufer Hamsayeh, DDS. “Motivating patients to have straighter, whiter teeth has increased the number of patients having Invisalign treatment, which helps improve their general oral health, as straighter teeth tend to accumulate less plaque and tartar around them.”
