Blog

The Link Between Smiling and Attraction

It’s the glimmer between strangers meeting eyes across the room. It’s the sparkle that lights up a photograph. It can whisper sweet nothings. It can shout with enthusiasm. It can unite people in moments of warmth and magic. It’s a smile, and it’s the universal communicator of joy and connection. But if your smile is broken, discolored or damaged, it can be a barrier between you and life. Let my dental office in Douglasville help.

How Smiling Makes us Feel

Smiling is more than nonverbal communication. It also triggers an amazing array of physical responses, both in the giver of the smile and the receiver. The key ingredient here is dopamine, that wonderful feel-good neurotransmitter. Because pleasure is such a motivator, anything that releases dopamine can become addicting, says Gary L. Wenk, a Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience & Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics at the Ohio State University and Medical Center. “When we smile…the contractions of the facial muscles slightly distorts the shape of the thin facial bones. This slight distortion in their shape leads to an increase in blood flow into the frontal lobes of the brain and increases in the release of dopamine. As a result, walking around all day with a smile on your face will bias your mood to be happier. Not only will you be happier, but your smile might spontaneously induce the release of dopamine in someone else’s brain.” No wonder smiling makes you more attractive – it causes the same chemical response as coffee or chocolate…or falling in love!

Smiling and Health

Smiling doesn’t just feel good, it makes you healthier too.  Every time you smile, your body produces greater quantities of antibodies and T-cells (or white blood cells), which may give your immune system a big boost. Smiling is also super relaxing, which we all know is good for our health. It releases both endorphins, those “feel-good” hormones, and serotonin, a natural stress-reducer.

If you would like to smile more – for health, relaxation, fun, and attraction – but you feel self-conscious about some aspect of your smile, don’t worry. Just call my Douglasville dental office. We have a multitude of cosmetic dentistry options that can get you a confident smile. Whether it’s stains, gaps, chips, cracks, or crookedness, we have the solution just for you. Schedule an appointment today and start enjoying all the benefits of smiling.

Welcoming new patients from Douglasville, Lithia Springs, and Villa Rica.

Smother Your Valentine with Minty-Fresh Kisses

Everyone wants to share a kiss and a smile on Valentine’s Day. Make sure your mouth is ready for it! A good way to start is by having your teeth cleaned. This not only freshens and brightens your teeth, it can really help clear away any lingering bad breath problems you might have. Bad breath is often caused by bacteria in your mouth and sometimes is an indicator of periodontal disease. If you have chronic bad breath, it is a certain indicator that it is time for a checkup at my dental office in Douglasville.

We also recommend using Xylitol products like mints, gum, or mouthrinse to keep your smile healthy and your breath super fresh!  Xylitol is effective because it inhibits and destroys mouth bacteria.

Here are a few other ways to get your breath super sweet and ready for kisses:

• Eat more fruits and vegetables

Crunchy fruits and vegetables help loosen trapped particles of food, clear away debris, and moisten your mouth. If those fruits and veggies are high in vitamin C, even better! Vitamin C helps create an environment that is not hospitable to oral bacteria.

• Add some yogurt to your diet

Try eating three ounces or more of probiotic yogurt. The good bacteria in yogurt lowers your levels of odor-causing compounds, while the vitamin D reduces mouth bacteria.  It should be sugar free, because sugar feeds bacteria and increases acid production which leads to cavities.

• Stop smoking

We don’t even need to discuss this one; everyone knows what smoker’s breath is like. Even brushing can’t scrub it away. And don’t forget – tobacco dries your mouth out, another contributor to bad breath. It’s a double whammy. Oh, and should we mention the staining? Not a big turn-on either.

Whatever your plans are this Valentine’s Day, consider adding a cleaning to your preparation schedule. It is the one sure way you can be sure your kisses will be as smoochable as possible. Schedule an appointment at my Douglasville dental office today.

We’re always welcoming new patients from Douglasville, Lithia Springs, and Villa Rica