That day, it was pouring rain. I was waiting for the arrival of a patient, in his first admission interview, for a psychotherapy treatment. “I want whiter teeth (he told me) Am I a superficial person? I don’t mind. They tell me I’m attractive, but I’m not happy with my image. Plus, I have a girlfriend who is younger than me. “I have to take care of my physical appearance so as not to lose it.” At the end of the interview, we agreed to a second meeting for the following week. He got up. He took his umbrella and a very elegant black Perramus. He said goodbye, leaving the atmosphere impregnated with the perfume Y, by Yves Saint Laurent.
In my 30 years of experience, as a psychologist, I have met many people. Some come to consult for phobias and fears. Others to prepare a duel. But Sometimes the problem is imaginary. That is, a mental disorder that arises from concern about alleged imperfections in one’s body image. These are physical characteristics that are not evident or that are imperceptible to the eyes of other people. These types of problems are called body dysmorphic disorders.
An important part of appearance is the smile. Dental health care is essential. But, many people who develop a real obsession. And, the gene lottery defines each person’s position in the market of superficiality. Each person has their own characteristic tooth color. Besides, Body image is a subjective representation. It doesn’t just depend on other people’s views. It is something that is built with the experiences that are combined throughout life. In this sense, people can seek social appreciation without neglecting comprehensive health. In this line, dentistry is located at the service of aesthetics.
Before, people had a phobia of dental treatment. Consultations were limited to routine check-ups and relief of dental pain. In the last 5 years, a trend has grown worldwide: dental aesthetic consultations. The offer ranges from whitening and veneers to invisible aligners. But above all, the dentistry market offers a pleasurable experience. High-end offices, with river views, heliports, massage chairs, dentistry on the networks: Instagrammers and Tictokers, reels, publications and videos.
“Today, dentistry seeks not only to address and resolve problems, but also seeks to provide a service of comfort, empathy and quality: from the moment each patient enters the office until they leave. During first-time consultations, some patients may feel fear. It is important to talk, take good photos and scan, to arrive at an accurate diagnosis, without having to sit the person in the chair directly at the first moment” says Dr. Luz Ferrón, dentist, professor of the endodontics department at the University of Buenos Aires. and expert in aesthetics of tooth color, aligners and veneers. She defines herself as a creator of smiles. He says that faster methods are currently used, such as milling machines, which allow the color of a tooth to be modified on the spot.
But then: How is odontophilia and whiterexia defined? Is a new fetish born or is it an obsession with image?
The excessive obsession with whitening teeth is called whiterexia. It is a disorder that can lead to unhealthy behaviors that are harmful to oral health. Odontophilia, on the other hand, is a sexual fetish that is related to teeth. It is characterized by sexual arousal that occurs when seeing or being in contact with the teeth. It is a consequence of oral fixation, the primary erogenous zone in psychosexual development.
Dr. Sergio Kohen is a professor of the Comprehensive Adult Chair at the University of Buenos Aires, a postgraduate professor at the Argentine Dental Association, at the University of Salvador and a member of the International College of Dentistry. He maintains that “Communication is fundamental in the relationship bond with the patient for highly aesthetic treatments. Today, in the digital age, having the possibility of taking good photographs, of showing images, of having scanners that allow digitizing, not only the mouth but also the new facial scanners together, provide a new era in communication and in the way to make a personalized diagnosis for each case of aesthetic rehabilitation” He also adds that: “Many people want to have super white teeth, more than what nature could achieve. “We determine this obsessive pathology as Blancorexia, meaning that people develop an obsession with slab-like white teeth, as they see in many artists or soccer athletes.”
Did you make the dining room? The legendary Mirtha Legrand joked with Mariano Iúdica. Away from the screens, we all try to please the eyes of other people, to relieve internal tensions. We romanticize beauty as an unattainable goal. But we don’t realize that the first person we want to please is ourselves. The word aesthetic comes from ancient Greek and means: perceptive, sensitive. That is to say that aesthetics is born from sensitivity. So, dental aesthetics is related to the possibility that modern dentistry offers to make people feel good.
On the other hand, the social smile appears in babies at two months of age. It is one of the first forms of communication to interact with the environment and express feelings. Smiling helps establish affective and emotional bonds. For many years we have suffered from the supremacy of beauty guidelines and hegemonic parameters. Today the time has come to align health with psychophysical well-being. Along that path, cosmetic dentistry helps people achieve the smile they want without putting their oral health at risk.
*Daniela Java Balanovsky: Graduate and professor in Psychology, graduated in 1994, from the University of Buenos Aires. Professor at the University of Palermo and the River Plate University Institute. Member of the Federal Comprehensive Health Team. Coordinator of the Therapeutic Photography team @danielabalanovsky
