[D-M-V]

Is it true that a larger percentage of people with mental disabilities have oversized and crooked teeth? I have noticed this a lot and am curious.
Original Code D19. Click here to see responses from the original archives. Click "to respond" below to reply.

User Detail :  

Name : D-M-V, Age : 35, City : N/A, State : NA Country : N/A, 

[Melissa S.]

I remember hearing that people who have some form of mental illness also have crooked teeth. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I heard that crooked teeth themselves can make one more subject to mental illness. I've spent quite a while searching on the internet for some expert to address this issue. The question posed (D19) came close to my question. I grew up with crooked teeth - quite maloccluded. I have almost always had poor self-esteem. Not being able to smile freely or even talk without being aware of my teeth was - I can't find the right word... I could say that my teeth caused me to be quite inhibited, and it was hard to speak freely, something most do naturally, without accompanying embarrassment. Imagine being constantly aware of how one forms one's words to be most concealing of the teeth? I never smiled normally. My life has been troubled to a pretty large extent by obsessive-compulsive disorder (severe), neurosis bordering on psychosis, anxiety and panic attacks, and depression (over 10 years of depression). Since you don't know me, I can say that I am quite intelligent - far beyond average. I got my teeth straightened six years ago (as an adult) and have lost my inhibition to speak or smile. However, I am still living my life in a state of constant depression. I've tried so many different meds over the past 20 years. Is there anyone out there who has researched a link between crooked teeth and mental illness? Maybe it's a myth, but I suspect it is not.

User Detail :  

Name : Melissa S., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : depression, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 38, City : La Mirada, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : English Teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Annie23899]

I've never heard that theory regarding dental problems and mental illness. That's interesting. My oldest sister has bi-polar disorder and had a horrendous overbite as a child. My parents had her teeth straightened, even though they could not afford it. Now, for my opinion about those with mental challenges having dental problems that are not corrected: A good deal of this population would be eligible for Medicaid coverage, which does not cover (for the most part) any dental work. My brother is mentally challenged and has had several teeth pulled due to major bone loss in his jaw. My parents paid for his teeth implants out of pocket, because, according to my mother, he only has so much going for him and it would be devastating if he didn't even have all of his teeth.

User Detail :  

Name : Annie23899, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 51, City : Lawrenceville, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : copy editor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[corey]

Hi, i'm a recent college graduate with neither a degree in psychology nor any credentials to speak with any real intelligence on this matter but i do have crooked teeth and severe depression that i know is linked to an obsessive compulsive disorder i have with my teeth. i did have braces in middle school and then retainers that i wore sporadically neglecting the instructions of my orthodontist. the fact that i actually had a chance to fix the problem when i was younger and that all this is entirely my fault exacerbates my psychoses by throwing a guilt complex into the mix. like you had said about yourself, i'm constantly thinking about words as they come out of my mouth and therefore stumbling over myself or just plain inhibiting my thought and creativity. i'm always conscious of which way light is shining on my face and i'm constantly positioning my body to find the most omni-directional lighting. all these actions make me feel like an extremely vain, pathetic and terrible human being. i'm always trying to rationalize away these insecurities by telling myself that this is something that i just need to get over and i write daily affirmations on my hands so that whenever i look in a mirror i can quickly stare down at my hand and remind myself that my physical appearance is not the end of the world. forget about ever pursuing any sort of intimate relationship with anyone. i feel guilty subjecting even friends i've had for 10 years to the sight of my teeth. as i said, i'm just out of college so i'm not exactly in a position to spent 4500 on orthodontics. at the same time, i'm also unemployed and have a hard time concentrating on job searches because my mind has convinced itself that i can only go so far in life due to my hideousness. this used to be something i was able to cope with but i'm worried that i'm doing irreparable harm to my creative processes and cognitive abilities because i think about my teeth all the time and i can't give my full undivided attention to anything anymore! this has all started a chain reaction in which my sense of humor and my passion for creative writing has completely vanished because i feel so detached from the rest of society. i feel like i've ruined my life. i've never told anyone any of this because i'm worried i'm insane. my parents wonder why i've gone from 6th in my class in high school to a complete and utter failure. i can't bring myself to tell them that the reason is something as petty as my teeth.

User Detail :  

Name : corey, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 23, City : rochester, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kortni C.]

There's two reasons for your observation. First, people with mental disabilities are less likely to realize the value of good dental hygeine--they may think they do, but due to intellectual impairment, they don't fully understand how to take good care of their teeth, and as a result, they end up crooked. Secondly, many people with mental disabilities actually have good teeth, good grooming habits, etc. And thus, they are less likely to be recognized as being 'different.' When they look 'normal,' they don't stand out. You could have passed 10 mentally challenged people today on the street--all with good teeth--and never knew they were handicapped. Only when there's a facial deviance, such as poor teeth, might the mental impairment become obvious, thus creating the illusion that most people with mental challenges have bad teeth.

User Detail :  

Name : Kortni C., Gender : F, City : Littleton, State : CO Country : United States, 

[MarkS.]

Hello Melissa, your story is very revelant to me, like you're talking about me; however, I'm a male. I've been struggling with this issue for a long time and was able only to remove 2 teeth but didn't get braces yet. Your message was posted a long time ago but it's a breath of fresh air for me and I want to ask how much relief you had after you have straightened your teeth?

User Detail :  

Name : MarkS., City : Moscow, State : NA Country : Russia, 

[Author]

Posts