At Hello Ortho, we are all about creating beautiful smiles. If you’re shy about letting your joy shine through because your teeth aren’t perfect, braces – invisible or nearly so – will remedy that. From the start of treatment, nothing will stop you from smiling again, allowing you to experience the many benefits of smiling every day.

Why do we make such a big deal out of smiling? Straightening your teeth may be necessary for optimum oral health, but one of the most rewarding results of orthodontic treatment is, simply, encouraging your smile. Just the act of smiling – genuinely grinning – confers some surprising benefits of smiling to your overall well-being.

Here are seven of them:

The Science of a Smile

1. You’ll not only look happier, you really will be. The act of moving your face muscles into a smile tells the brain to release endorphins – chemicals that make you happier. The smile doesn’t have to be real, either. If you’re blue, put on a fake smile and Smiling naturally stimulates endorphins to improve your mood.

2. You may live longer. Research shows that smiling reduces stress, lowers heart rate, and strengthens the immune system. One correlation study of facial photographs found that smiling subjects had lived an average of seven years longer than grim-faced ones.

3. You will make other people happier. Smiling is contagious. The old saying is true: When you smile, the world smiles with you. Smile at others and they tend to smile back – and then they enjoy the benefits of smiling, too. Smiling together also helps people bond.

4. You’ll be more attractive. This doesn’t have to do with the shape of your face or the size of your nose but with how others perceive you. A classic 1990 study in the European Journal of Social Psychology showed that People find those who smile more attractive. In 2013, a study comparing computerized facial images concluded that .people perceived smiling faces as more attractive as more attractive than or prettier faces without smiles.

Smiling and Your Health

5. More Ways Smiling Improves Your Health. You may feel less pain. Here are those endorphins again, along with serotonin – These two chemicals work together to reduce pain when you smile. In what must be the ultimate test, the ScienceNetLinks website reports that people who smiled while getting a needle – .even when they forced the smile – said they experienced up to 40% less pain than people who didn’t smile.

6. You will be more productive. It’s been shown that people work harder on tasks after a few minutes of smiling or laughing. A smile also helps you appear more confident and self-assured, which may lead to more promotions and raises. So don’t be afraid to “whistle while you work!”

7. Don’t stop with smiling – once in a while, give into a full belly laugh. Laughing has physical benefits as well as psychological ones. A full laugh expands the lungs, stretches muscles and brings oxygen to your cells. It also helps you release bottled-up emotions. Don’t let embarrassment about your teeth keep you from your fullest enjoyment of life.

If you’re interested in braces, our office offers options that are both attractive and functional. You’ll be pleased with how quickly your new smile will take shape – and pleased with the rewards your perfect smile will bring.