Is a smile important for a child's self-confidence?

Depending on one's genetic make-up, the smile plays a key role in social interaction from childhood onwards. While a beautiful smile can arouse admiration, misaligned teeth can provoke negative reactions. At school, taunts about physical appearance, particularly teeth, are commonplace, and hurtful nicknames are legion ("horse", "rabbit"). Sometimes, this mockery leads to harassment that can damage self-esteem, a phenomenon to which the very young are particularly sensitive. Children tend to take everything so seriously that they have difficulty distancing themselves from the taunts they receive. Sometimes, the child targeted by such taunts will confide in an adult; otherwise, he or she will suffer in silence, and it will be up to the adult to pay attention.

So it's all the more important to relieve the children who are the victims of such sarcasm, just as it is to instill in their peers respect for others. A vast mission!