How Smiling Effects Our Wellness

“Smiling is hard these days.” I am sure many of you have said this or heard a friend, family, or coworker say this as well. Recently, we have had so many ups and downs with the pandemic taking away some of our simple pleasures in life. Whether that is going shopping, going to the gym, or even going out for a drink with friends. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could trick ourselves into being happy? Well, there might just be a way to do that! According to Psychology today, “Each time you smile, you throw a little feel-good party in your brain. The act of smiling activates neural messaging that benefits your health and happiness.” (Riggio, 2012). Who knew that humans have a hack just to turn that frown upside down.  

During the month of February, we are really focusing on putting ourselves first. It is very easy to forget about ourselves when we are parents, partners, and employees or even going to school. Throughout February we are really emphasizing “self-love and self-care” as we should, because we all deserve to feel loved and cared for. “Any amount of time you take for yourself is important. Being out of “caregiver mode” for as little as five minutes in the middle of a day packed with obligations can be a meaningful reminder of who you are in a larger sense.” (NAMI, 2022). We all need a moment to recharge ourselves so we can be the best parent, partner, and coworker. A way to give back to yourself and help you increase your mood is with a great smile. A fun fact by Forbes says, “By measuring the smiles in photographs, researchers were able to predict how fulfilling and long lasting their marriages would be, how highly they would score on standardized tests of well-being and general happiness, and how inspiring they would be to others. The widest smilers consistently ranked highest in all of the above.” (Forbes, 2011). 

At DentalPros, we offer many avenues to give you that smile you have always wanted with affordable pricing and multiple locations. We offer implants, orthodontics including our famous Mickey Mouse brackets and Wildcat smiles, Invisalign, wisdom teeth removal, and general dentistry for the whole family. We are so proud of our team here at DentalPros/OrthoPros. We want to take care of our patients like they are our family members. We want parents to come in and not worry about making multiple different appointments for siblings. We are a one stop shop for all the family dental needs. So let this month be the reminder you need for less stress, more love, and BIG SMILES!