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Cameron Nguyen

Professor Munsell

ENC1102

12 November 2022

Rhetorical Analysis of a Professional Text

A smile is arguably the most valuable feature of a person. As Saint Teresa once

said, "peace begins with a smile." This quote can relate to many forms of peace: inner or outer

peace. Paul Hellyer collected a series of abstracts from other journals and questioned, "Is

cosmetic dentistry 'dentistry' at all?". In 2018 the British Dental Journal published this collection

of journals. The journals, as a whole, lean towards the idea that cosmetic dentistry is necessary

and beneficial to health.

The three abstracts that form this journal have different purposes but work in unison to

provide one central message. The first abstract details a study that gathered 250 individuals aged

7-17 and concluded that the objective need for orthodontic treatment correlated with oral health-

related quality of life. Oral health-related quality of life is also related to behavioral problems

and lack of self-esteem. The second abstract builds on the self-esteem mentioned in the first

abstract. It delves into what body dysmorphic disorder is, how to identify it, and what to do if

you suspect someone has it. The third and final abstract is the one that carries the main idea of

the journal. It talks about the definitions of 'dentistry' and the social pressure of having a 'perfect'

smile. The conclusion of the article was that cosmetic dentistry and dentistry should be

considered the same thing.

All of the sources present in the journal are scholarly texts that revolve around dentistry.

All texts present some form of statistical data to help prove their points. The abstract on body
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dysmorphic disorder demonstrate information on how it is more prevalent than some might wish

to believe. The abstract on the definition of cosmetic dentistry draws facts from the National

Health Service on what is considered necessary by them. The information provided all leads

back to the idea that cosmetic dentistry is the same as any other dentistry. "BDD causes distress

or impairment in relationship in social or work settings. Around 25% have attempted suicide.

Prevalence is estimated to be between 0.7% and 2.4% (higher than the prevalence of anorexia

and schizophrenia)"(Rosten et al. 163). This quote uses statistics that represent the severity of

body dysmorphic disorder and its prevalence. With that information, the journal strengthens its

connection between low self-esteem and the importance of cosmetic dentistry. "He discusses the

differences within the NHS, between dental regulations which stipulate that ‘cosmetic dentistry

is only available privately’ and the freely available provision of breast implants justified by

‘improving mental wellbeing and mental flourishing'." (Holden, Alexander C L. 602). This quote

further pushes the idea that cosmetic dentistry is necessary as the National Health Service

deemed procedures like breast implants beneficial in helping patients improve their mental

health. These quotes work in unison to propel the editor's idea and emphasize how mental health

needs to be addressed and treated equally to physical health. They work well in strengthening the

editor's logos because the facts used are pulled from reliable sources and utilized in a beneficial

way.

The first two abstracts are more fact-based and don’t provide much to the emotional

appeal of the audience. However, the third abstract plays heavily into the emotions of the

audience, using empathy as a main source of connection. The source talks about the generation

we’re in and the pressure that social norms have on us. “...cosmetic dentistry is an integral part of

the profession of dentistry in the twenty-first century. Drawing on definitions of oral health
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which include the ability to smile as a significant contributor to overall health, he argues that

appearance and self-content with one’s appearance contribute to self-worth and that a perceived

deficit in appearance negatively impacts on self-esteem.” (Holden, Alexander C L. 602). This

quote explains how dental work goes hand in hand with one’s self-evaluation. The work of a

doctor is to improve the health of their patient. In the case of a dentist, it is assisting the patients

in their ability to smile and functionally use their mouth. It so happens that the goals of a dentist

align with improving the patient’s self-image as well. “However, social media, and perhaps

dentists themselves, define the ‘normal’ smile with pictures and illustrations of the ‘perfect’

mouth in waiting rooms and websites.” (Holden, Alexander C L. 602). The quote above

examines the social standard created by both social media and dentists themselves. The author

realizes that the blame for these impractical standards should not just fall onto social media.

Dentists are also to blame for the standards they created through their advertisements. “Patient

expectations may be too high, and the pressure for profit at ‘dental spas’ may interfere with that

therapeutic relationship.” (Holden, Alexander C L. 602). This last quote recognizes the dental

offices that are driven by the profit they can make rather than the actual well-being of their

patients. The author reinforced this idea by labeling the offices ‘dental spas’. They pressure

patients into wanting unnecessary procedures to fit the ideal smile created by the offices. The

combination of all these quotes presents the utilization of pathos by the author. He connects with

the audience by presenting the struggles of everyday life and humanizing himself. The author

attacks social media and dentists for creating a social norm that hinders people’s joy. The length

in which he goes to present the situation as a problem feeds the audience’s emotions by making

the author seem empathetic towards these problems.

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The final and most prevalent appeal Ethos is used throughout all the texts. All of the texts

are written by professionals in the field of dentistry, Paul Hellyer the editor is also a retired

gerodontist. The journal also builds credibility through the way in which experiments are done

and by demonstrating ethical choices. “. There was however a positive correlation between those

who were objectively described as needing orthodontic treatment by an orthodontist on both the

dental health component of IOTN and the aesthetic index used.” (Kunz et al. 297) The quote

from the study done in abstract 1 shows the use of ethical practices. The team used

objective definitions of the need for orthodontic care by using indexes instead of

making judgment calls themselves. This shows the care the team took to remain

credible and to produce a coherent study. “The author also argues that all dental treatment

has a cosmetic component and that aesthetics go hand in hand with the restoration of function

(although he does modify this statement later to the majority of dental procedures have an

aesthetic component).” (Holden, Alexander C L. 602). The author here corrected themselves so

as to not spread any misunderstandings or discrepancies. The commitment to providing valid

information builds the credibility of the text and demonstrates to the reader that the author is

willing to notice when they’ve made a mistake and correct those mistakes. “However, consumer

power might be considered a benefit if it reduces professional, clinical authority within that

relationship.” (Holden, Alexander C L. 602). In this final quote, Holden builds credibility by

recognizing that there is a lack of balance between the client and the clinic. He considers an

increase in consumer power to be beneficial in returning balance to their relationship with

clinics. This establishes the author’s stance on the situation and desire for ethical practices. The

sources as a whole show their desire to uphold their integrity and to create credible texts. Having
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all the abstracts to be written by professionals in dentistry aid greatly in building their credibility

and allow the audience to be more confident in the information given.

The texts all aid in the idea that cosmetic dentistry is no different from any other dentistry

because the benefit to a patient’s self-esteem is just as important to their health as any other

routine procedure. Having this idea realized by the masses will help bring joy to the world and

allow people to lead happy and healthier lives. The text serves to demonstrate the correlation

between dentistry and mental health to those who are skeptical about the impact mental health

has on actual health. The text will aid in raising awareness of mental health and the implications

it has on our lives.

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Works Cited

Holden, Alexander C L. “Cosmetic dentistry: A socioethical evaluation.” Bioethics vol. 32,9

(2018): 602-610. doi:10.1111/bioe.12498

"Is Cosmetic Dentistry 'Dentistry' at all?: Cosmetic Dentistry: A Socio-Ethical

Evaluation." British Dental Journal, vol. 225, no. 9, 2018, pp. 866. ProQuest,

https://login.ezproxy.lib.uwf.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-

journals/is-cosmetic-dentistry-at-all-socio-ethical/docview/2132700686/se-2,

doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2018.1004.

Kunz, Felix et al. “Correlation between oral health-related quality of life and orthodontic

treatment need in children and adolescents-a prospective interdisciplinary multicentre

cohort study.” “Zusammenhang zwischen mundgesundheitsbezogener Lebensqualität und

kieferorthopädischem Behandlungsbedarf bei Kindern und Jugendlichen – Eine

prospektive, interdisziplinäre und multizentrische Kohortenstudie.” Journal of orofacial

orthopedics = Fortschritte der Kieferorthopadie : Organ/official journal Deutsche

Gesellschaft fur Kieferorthopadie vol. 79,5 (2018): 297-308. doi:10.1007/s00056-018-

0142-4

Rosten, Adina et al. “Body dysmorphic disorder: a guide to identification and management for

the orthodontic team.” Journal of orthodontics vol. 45,3 (2018): 163-168.

doi:10.1080/14653125.2018.1490874