Aucklanders not so money hungry

Aucklanders not so money hungry

Money may make the world go round but it doesn't make us smile.

Despite the City of Sails' reputation as "money hungry" yuppies, less than one percent of Aucklanders rate money as the number one thing to make them smile, according to a survey released today by a leading Auckland dental practice.

Charles Dawson of Proudmouth - Caring Dentistry, re-launched today from Albert Street Dental Care, says the Auckland-wide survey found "family" was at the heart of nearly every good smile.

"Several male respondents said their wives made him smile, while one man said watching children play on the beach for the first time was the key to unlock a smile. Lovely weather and sunny summer days also ranked right up there," says Mr Dawson.

A healthy attractive smile was regarded by nearly everyone (98% of women and 91% of men) as being important to them, and that seemed to be borne out by the frequency of Aucklanders' visits to their dentist.

"Surprisingly, more men than women visit their dentist regularly," he says.

Nearly three quarters of all men surveyed had visited their dentist in the past six months, compared to just 46% of all women.

"I would hate to hazard a guess as to why this is the case. Perhaps women have less disposable time than men?" says Mr Dawson.

"Westies" seem to be the most orally-conscious - 62% of all west Aucklanders surveyed had visited their dentist in the past six months. Compare that to east Aucklanders who seem much more lax - less than half (44%) had visited their dentist in the past six months. Half of all south (50%) and central (52%) Aucklanders had been to their dentist in that time.

Alarmingly a quarter of all respondents hadn't visited the dentist in more than a year.

How important is oral hygiene then?

"Well, thankfully, smelly breath rates higher on a man's personal hygiene radar than foot odour, greasy hair or hang nails," says Mr Dawson. "Unfortunately though, for anyone who sits next to someone with halitosis, it's not as important as general cleanliness."

"Whiter teeth" rated as the key thing people would alter if they could change one thing about their smiles. Meanwhile, the main reason most people said they visited the dentist was because they wanted to keep their own teeth for as long as possible and because they wanted to prevent unnecessary expenses in the future.

"One forward-thinking person said they visited their dentist because they liked eating steak!" says Mr Dawson.

Smiles were voted the second most attractive feature on a person's face by both men and women - the eyes had it first though.

"Smiles rated as more attractive than good skin, great lips, rosy cheeks and button noses."

Aucklanders are unanimous on who has the sexiest smile. TV3 news anchor, Carol Hirschfeld tops the list, winning the most votes overall for sexiest smile.

The pool of contenders included model Nicky Watson, athlete Beatrice Faumuina, former hockey star Mandy Barker, boardsailer Barbara Kendall, television personality Charlotte Dawson, New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming, sports personality and orange juice salesman Marc Ellis, NZ Idol host Dominic Bowden, former cricketers Adam Parore and Chris Cairns and renegade television personality Jeremy Wells aka Newsboy.

North Shore residents voted Carol and Nicky as their top female smilers and Stephen Fleming as the top man. South Aucklanders find Mandy Barker and Marc Ellis the sexiest smilers, while east Aucklanders pegged Stephen Fleming as a closer runner-up to favourite Carol Hirschfeld. Beatrice Faumuina who hails from Glendene was picked as top of the bunch by west Aucklanders along with Marc Ellis as their top guy.

"The survey was quite revealing as it gave us some valuable information into what motivates people into visiting their dentist and how important preventative oral care is to them," says Mr Dawson.

For nearly 30 years Proudmouth - Caring Dentistry (formerly Albert Street Dental Care) has been putting a smile on the face of Auckland. ProudMouth - Caring Dentistry will still be located at its historic Albert Street site but has also acquired a Takapuna practice on Hurstmere Road.

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