By Dr. Joe D’Angelo & Dr. Ashley Olson
Our smiles are more important than many of us realize. Studies show that those with bigger smiles experience better health. Smiles reduce our stress hormones and lower our blood pressure. Smiles also improve our relationship success. By analyzing young women’s smiles from their yearbook photos, a UC Berkeley study found that those with the biggest smiles experienced better marital satisfaction thirty years later. Bigger smiles also mean longer lives. A 2010 study at Wayne State University found that Major League Baseball players who did not smile on their baseball cards lived approximately seven years shorter than players with big, beaming smiles.
Unfortunately, there are some of you out there who hold your smiles in or cover them up because you are self-conscious about your teeth. Rather than enjoying the moment to the fullest, you guard yourselves. Some people actually have learned to smile without showing their teeth or limit how much they show. Others will put their hand over their mouth or turn their head slightly away from the person they are with. You may not even realize the unintended message you are projecting. The New Year being the time for self-improvement, it’s time to present the wonderful person that is hidden behind that incongruent message.
Studies have shown that smiling helps release endorphins within our brains that make us feel better. Your New Year’s Resolution may be one of many things that make you feel better. The simplest first step is to smile more! Another resolution may be to try to get that long awaited promotion at work. It has been shown that people who smile more are more likely to get a promotion.
Our smiles don’t only improve our lives; they improve the lives of those around us. A smile is actually contagious: a Swedish study found that our smiles compel others to smile—whether they want to or not. That means that our smiles can even provide someone else with better health and happiness!
We are passionate about helping you take the steps you need to improve your smile because we have seen how powerful it can be. Our goal is to help our patients improve their life experiences by helping them feel good about smiling. Whether you need to straighten your teeth, replace missing teeth, whiten teeth, fix uneven gums, or desire a complete smile makeover, we can help. Be a healthier, more confident and better looking you in 2014!
For information on how we can help you smile bright in 2014 please visit http://JoeTheDentist.com or call us at 858-459-6224 to schedule a complimentary consultation.
