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Given the effort required, dental care might seem like it offers few rewards. Sure, it makes your teeth whiter and helps you avoid serious oral health concerns, but only through time spent on brushing, flossing, rinsing, and regular dentist appointments. Even if it’s ultimately worth it, you may sometimes wish you got more out of the deal.
However, the benefits don’t just stop at healthy teeth. As it happens, smiling with those pearly whites can improve your quality of life. To learn more, read this guide to five health benefits of smiling.
It Makes You Happier
Smiling will boost your mood, whether in response to something good in your environment or not.
The physiologist Paul Ekman once led a study comparing students who smiled spontaneously with those who did so intentionally. After evaluating the results, he found that the positive activity in the students’ brains was nearly the same on each occasion. In other words, the students experienced similar increases in happiness when they smiled, despite their different motives.
It Makes You Look Confident
People move towards friendly, pleasant, and personable appearances rather than those that seem sullen or angry.
It follows, then, that you project a confident image of yourself when you smile. The feelings of warmth and admiration a smile can inspire may prove helpful in networking, job interviews, etc.
It Makes You Look Younger
Some stereotypes suggest that smiling will give you laugh lines or crow’s feet, so you should hold back from it to look young for as long as possible. On the contrary, though, the opposite may be true.
Namely, smiling may give you a more youthful appearance. According to a study from Berlin’s Max Planck Institute, pictures of happy, smiling faces are often considered the youngest looking by the general population.
It Helps You De-Stress
If smiling people look relaxed, they probably feel that way too.
The Wall Street Journal recently referenced a study that found smiling after a stressful task causes fast reductions in heart rate afterward. The smilers also recorded a faster physiological recovery from stress.
Smiling manages to accomplish these feats due to its influence on brain activity. In particular, it sends messages to the brain that signal ‘safety,’ so smilers will experience stress reduction in response.
It Improves Your Physical Health
Smiling and laughter could even boost the physical health of your body. Research from Loma Linda University found laughter increased the number of white blood cells in the body, the type critical for fighting off infections and boosting immunity.
Given these sorts of benefits to smiling, it’s safe to say that proper dental care reaps many advantages. So, if you’re looking to experience the many bonuses of a great smile, book an appointment with your dentist for the best possible treatment option!
About the Practice
Renaissance Dental is based in Fort Worth, TX. Headed by Drs. Christopher Duong and John Kuan, both graduates of the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry in San Francisco, the practice emphasizes warm and relaxing treatment. Thanks to their flexible financing and patient-friendly hours, the Renaissance Dental team also ensures the highest quality of personalized dental care. For more information or to schedule an appointment, they can be reached at their website or by phone at (817)-289-5200.
