Smiling Can Extend Your Life

Did you know that a recent study by London University College proved that those who smile more frequently live 35% longer than their frowny counterparts? Smiling more often and longer helps people feel happier and lighter and as a result extends their lifespan.

Here’s what else exercising the 17 muscles it takes to smile can do for you.

Boost your immune system | Smiling helps your body relax, reduces the amount of cortisol (stress hormone), and boosts production of white blood cells and other defensive cells.
Exude confidence | A confident person tends to smile more than those who lack confidence. When you smile, people are attracted to you. They want to know who you are and what differentiates you from the people around you. In fact, people who smile are looked at as 20% more approachable than those who do not.
Relieve stress | Even if you don’t feel like it, smiling when stressed causes a chemical reaction in your brain that ultimately leads to a person feeling less stressed and happier.
Make others smile | By smiling yourself you’re helping encourage other people to smile because smiling truly is contagious. When you see a baby smile or someone jumping for joy because of good news, you can’t help but feel happy for them.
Kill pain | Smiling is a natural pain killer. Sound silly? Research has proven that when a person smiles serotonin and endorphins are released. These are “feel good” hormones that dull pain and play a part in helping a person feel happy.

Now, smiling is easy if you have an attractive smile, but what if you aren’t as confident in your smile?

Day after day we see people come in who are afraid to smile because they don’t feel good about their smile. Oftentimes their teeth aren’t the shade of while that they want them to be, or they’re slightly crooked. Whatever the root cause, the ultimate result is a person who is not confident in their smile.

There’s a wide variety of treatments available to patients looking to boost their confidence through a smile This includes teeth whitening, which can take your teeth from drab to fab in just one session. Orthodontic treatment like braces or invisalign are an option for those who feel like they want a straighter smile that they can be confident in.

If you want to experience all of the benefits of smiling, but don’t have the confidence to do so, it might be time to get in touch with our office and schedule an appointment with Dr. Bradford. We can discuss your goals, as well as the treatment that might be best to help you reach your smile goals.