A new survey by YouGov asked Americans about their dental experiences and how conventionally attractive they think their teeth are. The results show that a person’s teeth can have a significant impact on their self-confidence, and that Americans with higher household incomes are particularly likely to have straight, white teeth, possibly in part because they are more likely to have had cosmetic dentistry and orthodontic procedures.
Half (52%) of Americans have visited a dentist in the past year, including 39% who visited in the past six months and 14% who last visited six and 12 months ago. People with dental insurance are more likely to have visited a dentist in the past year than people without dental insurance (66% vs. 35%).
More than a third of US adults (37%) do not have dental insurance. Among people without dental insurance, 25% have not seen a dentist in more than 10 years — including 6% who have never seen one.
Most Americans (58%) have dental insurance. Americans with an annual household income of $100,000 or more are more likely (75%) to have dental insurance than those with a household income between $50,000 and $100,000 (60%) or with a household income of less than $50,000 (51%).
How do Americans feel about visiting the dentist? One in five (20%) dislike it and 17% hate it. At the other end of the spectrum, 13% like it and 7% love it. And 40% is neutral.
Adults under 45 have more positive feelings about going to the dentist: 28% say they like it (17%) or like it (11%). Among older Americans, half (14%) like or like it.
Americans who have recently visited the dentist are more likely to say they like it or enjoy doing so. Among people whose most recent visit was in the last six months, 26% like or love going to the dentist.
People who haven’t visited the dentist in more than 10 years are much less likely to say they like it or enjoy doing so (6%). Among this group, 37% say they hate going to the dentist and 23% don’t.
The YouGov survey also asked Americans about their perception of their own teeth and how it affects their self-confidence.
Most Americans (75%) consider their teeth to be straight, including 28% who say their teeth are very straight and 46% who think they are somewhat straight. In possible evidence of the value of orthodontic intervention, 34% of people who have had any type of orthodontic treatment—including metal braces, clear aligners, or retainers—say their teeth are very straight, and 49% say their teeth are somewhat straight .
People with an annual household income of $100,000 or more are especially likely to say they have very straight teeth (45%). A third (32%) of people with an annual household income between $50,000 and $100,000 say the same, as do 20% of people with an income of less than $50,000.
American adults with a household income of less than $50,000 are more likely than higher earners to say their teeth are not very straight (18%) or not at all straight (12%).
When it comes to teeth whiteness, just 8% of Americans say their teeth are very white and 51% think their teeth are somewhat white. Another 29% say their teeth are not very white and 8% think their teeth are not white at all.
Income may play a small role here, with 69% of those with an annual household income of at least $50,000 saying their teeth are at least somewhat white. Among those with lower household incomes, 50% say the same.
Half (52%) of Americans believe that most other people would find their teeth attractive, including 12% who say their teeth are very attractive and 40% who think they are somewhat attractive. About a quarter (23%) say their teeth are somewhat unattractive and 9% think their teeth are unattractive.
People who say their teeth are too straight are more likely to say their teeth are too attractive (29%). Among people who say their teeth are very or somewhat white, 73% think their teeth are attractive.
Americans with higher household incomes are more likely to say their teeth are attractive.
The vast majority of Americans (82%) say the appearance of their teeth affects their self-confidence, including 29% who say it has a big influence on their self-confidence.
Women (37%) are more likely than men (21%) to say that the appearance of their teeth greatly affects their self-confidence.
Most Americans (70%) say it is at least somewhat important to them to have teeth that are considered conventionally attractive. Women (35%) are more likely than men (23%) to say it is very important.
Adults under 45 are more likely than older Americans to say it is very important to them to have conventionally attractive teeth (39% vs. 21%).
How far will Americans go to get what they consider conventionally attractive teeth?
Nearly one in five (17%) have had a cosmetic dental procedure, including 24% of Americans with an annual household income of $100,000 or more. Another 30% of Americans say they have considered cosmetic dentistry procedures, while 53% have not.
The most common cosmetic dental procedure polled is professional teeth whitening, which 19% of Americans have had. Adults under 45 are about twice as likely as older Americans to have done so (26% vs. 14%).
Fewer Americans have had cosmetic surgery or gum implants (10%), dental bonding (8%), or dental veneers (8%).
In pursuit of straighter teeth, 32% of Americans have had orthodontic procedures. One in five (19%) had metal braces, 15% had a plastic removable retainer, 8% had a removable acrylic retainer, 6% had clear aligners such as Invisalign and 5% had a permanent retainer.
Adults under 45 (39%) are more likely than older Americans (26%) to have some form of orthodontic disease.
Among Americans with an annual household income of $50,000 or higher, 40% have had orthodontic treatment. Among those with lower incomes, 29% have had orthodontic work.
Among people who have had cosmetic dental work done, the vast majority (82%) say they are satisfied with the results, including 42% who are very satisfied.
— Taylor Orth and Carl Bialik contributed to this article
Related:
See the results of this YouGov poll
Methodology: The YouGov poll was conducted online on September 20 – 25, 2023 among 1,000 US adults. Respondents were selected from the YouGov participation panel using matched sampling. A random sample (stratified by gender, age, race, education, geographic region, and voter registration) was selected from the 2019 American Community Survey. The sample was weighted by gender, age, race, education, participation in 2020 election and presidential vote, primary party identity, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets are from the 2019 American Community Survey. The primary party designation is the respondent’s most recent response given before November 1, 2022, weighted by the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democrats, 31% Republicans). The margin of error for the total sample is approximately 4%.
Image: Adobe Stock (Prostock-studio)
