It has been found that smiling frequently actually has psychological health benefits such as improving your mood, and it is also contagious. Smiling makes you look and feel younger. It helps you get through your day more efficiently, and Smiling makes other people smile with you. And smiling actually boosts your brain power, stimulating the brain much like a chemical substance. In fact, in a study published in Smile: The Astonishing Powers of a Simple Act, author Ron Gutman points out that researchers in the U.K. were able to determine that “one smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate.
This is why a genuine, sincere smile is probably the most important thing to cultivate in order to enjoy life more and enhance all your social and professional relationships. It is a fact that people respond more openly and feel more comfortable around someone who is smiling. This means that both your personal friends and family, as well as your colleagues at work, will feel better in your presence if you smile more. As those relationships are naturally improved, you will enjoy more successful outcomes in both your personal and professional life.
Why Are You Not Smiling?
If you find that you’re not smiling as openly and freely as you’d like to, is it because of some problem with your appearance? Could it be that you have stains or discoloration on your teeth that detracts from the beauty of your smile? Or perhaps you have some teeth missing, your teeth are crooked, or you have unsightly gaps between your teeth? Whatever the oral health problem that you may have, the sooner you attend to it, the sooner you will be able to smile freely once again. Whether you need a tooth whitening solution or an orthodontic treatment to align your teeth, your first step is coming into the dentist’s office for a checkup. Dental problems are similar to auto repairs: the longer you put it off, the worse it gets, and the more it will cost in the long run.
Foul Breath and its Consequences
Another problem that makes people keep their mouths shut, preventing them from participating in important conversations and professional networking opportunities, is halitosis, or bad breath. Bad breath is usually caused by the presence of acid-causing bacteria in the mouth that produces tooth decay and gum disease. Bad breath is actually a symptom of a larger problem and should be addressed immediately by a dentist. Habits such as smoking, drinking a lot of coffee and soft drinks, eating sugary snacks, failing to brush or floss properly to remove food particles from the mouth, and not keeping up with regular dental checkups are all factors that contribute to halitosis.
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Reclaiming Your Smile
Smiling not only feels good, it’s also good for you and helps you maintain harmonious social and professional relationships. In order to maintain a healthy and attractive smile you must avoid harmful habits such as smoking and snacking on sweets, and cut back on coffee, soft drinks, tea, and wine, as all of these can stain your teeth and may make you more prone to tooth decay and gum disease.
In order to protect your oral health and ensure that you can confidently smile whenever it is appropriate to do so, you must stick to a healthy oral hygiene routine. Here are some tips for maintaining a healthy and beautiful smile:
- Get regular dental checkups once yearly to identify any problems in your teeth and gums and treat them early enough.
- Brush your teeth at least two times daily after meals.
- Floss at least once daily to clean the crevices between your teeth and remove bacteria and plaque that can cause tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath.
- Replace your toothbrush at least once every 3 months to make sure it is not contaminated with bacteria.
- Use an antiseptic mouthwash to help protect against bad breath. If you want to also prevent the formation of plaque and tartar, use a mouthwash that reduces plaque.
- Get your teeth cleaned professionally at least twice a year.
If you need professional dental services and you’re located in the Aurora or the greater Denver area of Colorado, schedule an appointment with Dr. Alex Sohn at C.S Family Dental today. Dr. Sohn provides state-of-the-art comprehensive family dentistry, including tooth whitening treatments and other cosmetic dentistry services, for patients of all ages.