Our Hidden Superpower: Smiling!
SMILING AT SOMEONE can turn their whole day around. But have you ever thought about the impact the act of smiling has on YOU? Smiling is a hidden superpower that can change our lives for the better if we let it!
Smiling Has Numerous Health Benefits
Did you know that frequent smiling can actually make us healthier? Smiling reduces stress and increases health and mood enhancing hormone levels, such as endorphins. Smiling also helps to lower our blood pressure.
Perhaps even more surprising, smiling can extend our lifespan! A study conducted at Wayne State University in 2010 found that baseball players who smiled in their pictures lived seven years longer on average than those who weren’t smiling in their photos.
Smiling Makes Us Happy
While we generally think of smiling as the result of feeling happy, smiling, even when we don’t feel like it, can actually improve our mood and emotional disposition. In other words, pasting a smile on your face, even if you’re faking it, can make you feel happier!
Here’s why: when we cause our facial muscles to form a smile, our brain’s circuitry of emotion and happiness is activated—whether the smile is genuine or not! A study conducted in the UK found that one smile can provide the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 chocolate bars. What’s more, a smile can be as neurologically stimulating to your brain as receiving $25,000!
Smiling Helps Us Connect With People
One of our most primal instincts as human beings is to smile. And as it turns out, smiling is absolutely contagious! When we see another smile, it’s pretty hard not to smile ourselves. If you or I observe another person’s smile, mirror neurons will fire in our brain, giving us the sensation that we ourselves are smiling. So, smiling not only makes you feel good, but everyone around you as well!
We Love Your Smile- and You Should Too!
As your trusted dental professionals, we’re here to help you maintain a healthy, beautiful smile so that it can brighten your life and the lives of others. If you experience gum recession, you may not feel like your smile is as healthy or beautiful as it could be. Gum recession can be caused by many factors including:
- Periodontal Disease
- Genetics
- Hormones
- Orthodontics
- Brushing Technique
Thankfully, Dr. Joseph Nemeth offers patients a minimally-invasive option to treat gum recession called Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation. Some of the key reasons to treat gum recession include:
- Reduced tooth sensitivity
- May reduce the risk of tooth loss
- Can help decrease the risk of gum disease and other oral health problems
- Often reduces pain and discomfort associated with inflammation of the gums
- Can improve the appearance of a smile
If gum recession is a concern for you, please call the office of Joseph R. Nemeth DDS & Associates for an appointment. Dr. Joseph Nemeth was the first periodontist in Michigan to be trained and certified in the Chao Pinhole Technique and our office would be more than happy to provide you with more information about this procedure.
Thank you to our wonderful patients! We appreciate you!
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.