Have you ever wondered why dentists and other dental and oral health professionals spend so much time talking about your smile? Shouldn’t they focus more on your teeth?
As dental health professionals, we know that your oral health affects a whole lot more than just your teeth. You may think your smile is just another way to communicate your happiness, but we know it does so much more than that. Smiling regularly can improve your mood and even your health. But when you hide your smile because you are embarrassed of crooked, chipped, or cracked teeth, you not only miss out on all of the benefits of smiling, but your self-esteem and confidence plummet as well.
Benefits of Smiling
Smiling — even when you may not feel like it — provides some surprising benefits. The following are just a few.
Healthier Heart. According to a study published in Psychological Science, smiling helps you recover from stress and upset. Researchers found that participants who smiled during a stressful situation had a lower heart rate when recovering. Smiling is also credited for lowering blood pressure. The more you smile, the less likely you are to develop heart disease.
Makes You Happy. The act of smiling releases endorphins. If you’ve ever gone running or worked out, then you’ve probably experienced the elation brought on by endorphins (also known as a runner’s high). When your body releases endorphins, your mood is naturally elevated.
Reduces Stress. Those endorphins that make you feel happy also reduce stress. Between the endorphins and the lower heart rate, you could feel downright calm and cool, even when life’s intensity starts to heat up.
Improves Relationships. Study after study has shown that people are more likely to trust someone with a genuine smile. Feeling connected to others is key to enjoying an enriched life. The more you smile, the more likely you are to form close, lasting relationships with others.
Minimizes Pain. Those endorphins that smiling and laughing release have been shown to reduce pain significantly, in some cases up to 40%.
Smiling Is Contagious. When you smile, approximately 50% of the time people smile back. There is an area in your brain that is responsible for your facial expressions, and as it turns out, the act of mimicking someone else’s smile is an unconscious automatic response. In fact, one Swedish study found it takes effort to frown when you see someone else smiling. So when you smile, you are spreading all of the benefits that come along with smiling to everyone who smiles back. Way to pay it forward!
How We Can Help You Smile
As your oral health provider, your overall health and happiness is our primary concern. We understand that if you aren’t smiling, then you aren’t receiving all of the benefits from our services that are available to you. If your teeth are keeping you from smiling, we have a suite of services that can fix a wide variety of conditions.
Dental Implants. Implants offer a permanent solution for missing teeth. Not only do they look and feel like natural teeth, they also maintain your facial structure and integrity.
Crowns. Porcelain crowns are the perfect restoration for cracked, chipped, or broken teeth. These natural-looking covers make imperfections in teeth entirely unnoticeable.
Teeth Whitening. We offer both at-home and in-office treatment options using the most effective teeth-whitening systems available today. All treatment options are simple and noninvasive.
Porcelain Veneers. These ultrathin, tooth-colored coverings are custom made and are fit to the front surface of your teeth, changing the appearance to the size and shape you desire. Veneers are perfect for fixing discolored and chipped teeth.
Straightening. Straightening your smile no longer requires years of wearing metal wires on your teeth. There are a variety of “invisible” straightening options, such as Six Month Smiles® and Invisalign®, which allow you to have a straighter, more aesthetically pleasing smile in a matter of months.
We are also here to help you with your routine oral hygiene so that your mouth feels as good as it looks.
If you find yourself holding back from smiling and laughing because of how you feel about your teeth, call us today to find out more about how we can help you feel better, live healthier, and smile more.
1. Kraft TL, Pressman SD. Grin and bear it: the influence of manipulated facial expression on the stress response. Psychological Science 2012;23:1372–1378.
2. Sonnby–Borgström, M. Automatic mimicry reactions as related to differences in emotional empathy. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 2002;43:433–443.
More
The smile is one of the most powerful features of the human face. It conveys meaning and emotions in an instant. It can catch the eye of that special someone or soothe the tears of your little child.
Throughout history, smiles have inspired artists and the arts, sparking the inspiration that has led to famous paintings, beautiful songs, and even the writing of poems. As your Lancaster dentist, we have been so inspired by smiles that we have dedicated our profession and our passion to caring for them. Whether keeping them healthy or restoring or beautifying them, we wake up every day motivated by the impact a healthy, happy smile can have on the lives of individuals and entire communities.
This April is National Poetry Month. We would like to take this opportunity to demonstrate our love for pearly whites by sharing with you some of our favorite quotes and sayings about smiles.
Our Favorite Quotes About Smiles
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” —Thich Nhat Hanh
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” —Leo Buscaglia
“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.” —William Arthur Ward
“A smile is happiness you’ll find right under your nose.” —Tom Wilson
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” —Dr. Seuss
“Peace begins with a smile.” –Mother Teresa
The Smile
By William Blake
There is a Smile of Love
And there is a Smile of Deceit
And there is a Smile of Smiles
In which these two Smiles meet
And there is a Frown of Hate
And there is a Frown of Disdain
And there is a Frown of Frowns
Which you strive to forget in vain
For it sticks in the Hearts deep Core
And it sticks in the deep Back bone
And no Smile that ever was smild
But only one Smile alone
That betwixt the Cradle & Grave
It only once Smild can be
But when it once is Smild
Theres an end to all Misery
If you would like to find out more about how we can help you keep your smile in art-inspiring condition, give us a call and set up your next appointment. We offer general-dentistry services such as regular cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants — all designed to protect your teeth from decay and harmful cavities.
We also provide restorative services such as porcelain crowns and inlays and onlays designed to restore cracked and broken teeth. These procedures can relieve dental discomfort and give you back your confidence so that you can spread happiness every time you grin.
Is your smile missing something? Our beautiful, natural-looking, permanent dental implants will make your smile whole again so that you can enjoy eating and speaking without reservation.
We are here to help keep your teeth and oral health in the best condition possible so that you can confidently share it with the world.
Happy National Poetry Month from our dental family to yours.
More
The 88th Academy Awards will be held on February 28. Viewers everywhere will tune in to see if their favorite actors, actresses, directors, and other cinematic professionals will win their Oscars. But when it comes to watching the Academy Awards, finding out who gets the big wins is only part of the fun. Watching who comes with who and seeing who wears what is a large part of what makes the Oscars worth throwing a party or friendly gathering for.
Year after year, viewers and reviewers spend weeks after the awards recalling which dresses were worn, commenting on the hairstyles that are sure to start trends, and wondering how the stars managed to get those Hollywood smiles. While most of us will never be able to afford that one-of-a-kind Versace gown, the good news is that a beautiful, white Hollywood smile is just a call away.
Smile Design
Smile Design offers you the opportunity to achieve a smile that is as bright and beautiful as the stars’ on Oscar night. Smile Design offers a suite of services to choose from that, when added to a strategically crafted dental plan, result in a confidence-boosting aesthetic.
Smile Design services include:
Dental implants: Implants offer a permanent, long-term solution for missing teeth. Not only do they look and feel like natural teeth, they also maintain your facial structure and integrity. A dental implant consists of a small, screw-shaped, titanium post that replaces the root of a missing tooth and is covered by a porcelain tooth-like crown that will give you back your natural smile. Depending on the number of missing teeth, there are options for single-tooth and multitooth replacement.
Crowns: Over time teeth can become weak or severely worn down, leading to decay, cracking, and breaking. Porcelain crowns are the perfect restoration for cracked, chipped, or broken teeth. These natural-looking covers make imperfections in teeth entirely unnoticeable. When crafted carefully and with your individual needs in mind, a permanent crown can restore your confidence, comfort, and overall quality of life.
Teeth whitening: As you age, your teeth are exposed to foods and drinks that stain them. Though your teeth may be perfectly healthy, they can appear damaged and make you look older. Fortunately, if you have deep stains or want to achieve a brighter smile quickly, there are teeth-whitening options that can help you acquire a beautiful, youthful-looking, bright smile. Both at-home and in-office treatment options are available and use the most effective teeth-whitening systems available today. All treatment options are simple and noninvasive.
Porcelain veneers: Sometimes teeth are damaged or discolored in a way that can’t be corrected with crowns or whiting treatments. When this happens, veneers offer a beautiful solution. These ultra-thin, tooth-colored coverings are custom made and are fit to the front surface of your teeth, changing the appearance to the size and shape you desire. Veneers are perfect for fixing discolored and chipped teeth.
Straightening: Straightening your smile no longer requires years of wearing metal wires on your teeth. There are a variety of “invisible” straightening options, such as Six Month Smiles® and Invisalign®, which allow you to have a straighter, more aesthetically pleasing smile in just a matter of months.
If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable with or embarrassed about your smile, or if you simply wish it was just a bit brighter or whiter, Douglas B. Weber, DDS, can help you with our cosmetic and Smile Design services. Call us at (661) 952-7865 to set up your personal consultation — and look forward to feeling red-carpet ready in no time at all.
More
