Yes, absolutely. Children are very sensitive to the ways in which.... I would say that the newest generation is much better at not teasing or picking out differences in kids, but kids are still kids, especially in middle school. It makes it very hard.
When I think about this, I think there's a neglected population in neurodiversity. I work with a lot of children who have autism, who have neurodevelopmental disabilities and intellectual disabilities. Many times they are hospitalized with severe aggression, hurting themselves very severely because of poor oral care. When you can't express where pain is coming from, it can result in headbanging and a lot of injuries. We certainly see oral care relating to hospitalizations. I've had many hospitalizations where the solution is to consult a dentist, and I'm in a mental health facility. Certainly, oral health matters.
When we think about what makes kids feel confident, we realize that if they're having pain or have some form of deformity, that makes it obvious this is going to impact their mental health for sure.