4 Reasons to Smile

At my McMinnville dental office, we love to see our patients smile. Not only because we are in the business of creating healthy, beautiful grins, but also because we know the health benefits behind showing those pearly whites. We’d like to share a few reasons you should smile more and smile often.

• Helps Immune System. Smiling helps produce more white blood cells which, in turn, fight off bacteria, germs, and disease.

• Makes Us Happy. Endorphins are the chemicals in our brains that help us feel happy. The effects of endorphins are often experienced while running, working out intensely, or just by smiling.

• Reduces Stress. Those powerful endorphins also help lower stress and anxiety. When we’re stressed, the level of the hormone cortisol is high, making us feel unpleasant. Endorphins lower the amount of cortisol in our bodies and fight off stress.

• Makes You Approachable. Smiling means the same thing in every language, so there are no cultural barriers to interpreting what a smile means. There are several studies that show people are more likely to engage with someone who’s smiling than those who are not.  

If you’re not smiling often, try these tips to help:

• Be around people. Spending time with people who make you happy and make you laugh is a great way to increase how much you smile. Call up your buds, go out to dinner, tell funny stories, and don’t forget to smile wide.

• Watch something funny. Sometimes we don’t feel like interacting with people, and that’s ok. But it’s still important to smile and smile often. When you want to relax alone, watch a classic comedy movie or show, pop some popcorn (watch out for kernels!), and cackle away in the comfort of your couch.

• Fake it. Our brains can’t actually tell the difference between a genuine smile and a fake one. But the benefits stay the same no matter what. So paste on a grin and soak in the benefits.

Sometimes people don’t smile because they’re embarrassed about how their teeth look. If this is keeping you from showing off your grin, call my dental office in McMinnville. We have tons of cosmetic dentistry options to choose from and we promise there’s a treatment plan just for you. Schedule an appointment today and let us help you smile more so you can start feeling all the benefits smiling can have.

Accepting new patients from McMinnville, Dayton, and Amity.

About The Author

Dr. Amy Wark

Dr. Amy Wark completed her one-year general dentistry residency while serving in the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Her residency allowed her to learn specialized surgical procedures involving extractions and gingival health. Dr. Wark spent the rest of her military career stationed in England and returned home to join and take over her father's practice.

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