It may come easily to those who have pearly whites.
They don’t think twice before dazzling the world with the beauty of their teeth. However, if your teeth are badly stained, crooked, chipped, or misaligned, you won’t feel comfortable smiling.
Not just that, you may completely try avoiding social situations so that you don’t have to talk or smile and hence put your teeth on display.
With the sheer number of cosmetic dentistry treatments that are available today, you can fix these problems. And you must do so because your smile has a direct impact on your confidence (which we’ll get to in just a bit). If you have moderate aesthetic concerns, veneers can do the job. You can take a look at the composite veneers before and after photos to find out what your own smile makeover will look like. For now, let’s find out how exactly your smile boosts your confidence.
The Relation Between Smiling & Self-Confidence
It has a lot to do with your perception of yourself. Standing in front of a mirror if you don’t like what you see, you assume that others won’t either. You may not like your teeth if they look too yellow, have large gaps between them, or are chipped/broken wholly or in places. The smile just doesn’t appear uniform or even.
And that’s where it begins. Your self-confidence takes a plunge. And this can have huge consequences for your social, personal, and professional life. If you’re hesitant about simply talking to other people, you won’t be able to express yourself in the best way possible. You may feel embarrassed in front of others and completely avoid going to them. The horror if they make fun of you in public can be too much to bear. Not talking to other people means that they would end up thinking that you have an attitude problem or are too rude to open yourself up to them and try to be friendly.
According to one study, a person feels more self-confident when they’re satisfied with the appearance of their smile. Participants in the study who felt that their smile was good also liked to show their teeth more. They even liked to see their teeth in mirrors, pictures, and videos. Another study showed that people who had a bad bite, tooth injury, decay and loss, resulted in low self-esteem.
The colour, shape, size, and even the length of teeth can also impact the satisfaction levels of an individual with their own smile, which may reduce their self-confidence. And not smiling is probably not a good idea because it does other things for you, such as:
Elevates Mood
If you’re feeling a bit down, you can cheer yourself up with the simple act of smiling. It doesn’t even have to be a real smile because your mind doesn’t understand the difference between the two. It releases endorphins regardless, making you feel real good.
It’s Contagious
One thing that you wouldn’t mind catching on to is smiling. If you see someone else smile, you’re bound to end up smiling, even if just a little bit. It doesn’t even have to be with your friends. Watching videos on YouTube, when you see someone smiling, you may notice that you’ve started smiling with them. And again, it’ll make you feel, well, happy!
Less Stress, Better Immunity
If you’re feeling a bit worn and stressed, you can try smiling to get yourself in better spirits. And when you’re smiling, your body is relaxed and in a “good” state, which also strengthens your immune response.
Success & Positivity
Smiling can make you look more friendly and approachable. And that is one way to climb the social ladder or get out of a difficult situation when you’re in a stressful meeting. In general, smiling can give you a more positive outlook on life, making you more hopeful of good things coming your way. So, smile on!
How Can I Improve My Smile?
There are more than a few things that you can do to improve your smile. If it’s just some stains on the outer surface of the teeth that are bothering you, you can try using teeth whitening pens, whitening toothpaste, or whitening kits. These can work if the staining isn't too bad.
If the teeth are missing, chipped, broken, then depending on the extent of damage, you can get dental veneers, crowns, and implants (for missing teeth). All these will make you feel more confident about your smile, improving your confidence in your appearance.
Conclusion
If you’re not happy with your smile, there’s no benefit in hiding. It will just end up making you feel desperate. You don’t have to live with the same smile forever. What you need to do is take action so that you can smile brightly and confidently to improve the quality of your smile.
