Taking care of your teeth has a lot of health benefits. One extra benefit of maintaining your teeth is that it gives you a better smile. It’s a lot easier to smile with ease when you got a mouthful of clean and straight teeth.
At Dental Specialty Associates, we know how much people value a good smile. But did you know that smiles do more than make you look good? Smiling can offer you major health, psychological, and social benefits. Here are just a few of the benefits that can come from having a beautiful smile.
It Can Reduce Stress
Your beautiful smile helps you release endorphins into your body. Endorphins are chemicals that are responsible for making us feel good. They also help reduce your body’s cortisol levels. Cortisol is what helps build up stress and anxiety in your body. The more you do it, the less stress you’ll feel.
An interesting fact about smiling and endorphins: A fake one will produce the same effect as a real one! Our brains don’t differentiate between a real smile and a fake smile: All it needs is for your facial muscles to be positioned a certain way and it will take that as its cue to release the endorphins. So even if you’re in no mood to grin, sometimes “fake it til you make it” is the best way to elevate your mood.
Smiling Makes You Healthier
Stress is a killer. The less stressed out you are, the less pressure and strain you’re exerting on your body. People who are happy and relaxed are more likely to live longer, and much less likely to develop blood pressure or heart problems that plague people afflicted with high stress levels. It also has an added health benefit: It makes your immune system stronger by making your body produce extra white blood cells! White blood cells are instrumental at fighting illnesses.
It Makes You More Approachable
People respond well to smiles. It’s an almost universal sign of peace and calmness. A smiling person is often viewed as being more approachable, more trustworthy, and more attractive than someone with a neutral or negative expression on their face. When it comes to making friends, navigating the workspace, or looking for love, few things will serve you as well as a bright smile.
You’ll Make People Happy
Smiles are contagious. Someone seeing a smile will often unconsciously smile back at them. It’s a reflexive action. And because they’re smiling, their bodies will start to fill up with endorphins, making them happier and more relaxed. Part of the reason why people respond so well to people who frequently smile is that because they make them feel better about themselves.
An interesting thing to note is that they are so contagious that even fake smiles can inspire people to smile!
To find out more about how we can give you a beautiful smile that’ll shine brighter than the sun, give Dental Specialty Associates a call at 602-795-5995.
