A great smile can boost your self confidence and make your feel good while crooked, discolored teeth can have the exact opposite effect. It’s important to understand how a great smile can change the way you see yourself, because there are some psychological and physiological benefits that come for such a simple gesture.
How Low Self Confidence and Not Smiling are Connected
People with discolored, decaying, cooked or misaligned teeth have a tendency to avoid smiling. Others may have gum disease and constant halitosis, and it’s not hard for these people to notice how others start to shy away from them in a conversation, or look away when you speak.
Recognizing this behavior in others can really damage a person’s self confidence, and it’s especially harmful when it happens to people in their younger years. Kids can be fairly harsh about that kind of thing. The embarrassment they experience over their smile when they are kids can stick with them into their adult years.
If you’re worried about hiding your teeth, rather than showing off a bright smile, you may be missing out on some physical and psychological benefits.
On top of that, you may continue to back away from others instead of learning to be friendly and sociable. Smiling in a social situation tells people that you are open and friendly. It makes you approachable and memorable.
A great smile, on the other hand, can help boost self confidence and improve your social experiences.
The Psychology of Smiling
Several tests have shown that smiling can:
- Improve your mood – This is a physiological response to moving the muscles involved with smiling. When you smile, it tells your brain that it’s time to release some endorphins and start feeling good.
- Make others happy – Smiling is literally contagious. We smile and others who see it are prompted to match it. So a real smile will get a real smile in return. A fake smile will only get a fake smile. But if you don’t have the confidence to smile in the first place, you likely won’t see this kind of reaction.
- Make you look younger – Studies show that people will judge a smiling face to be younger than he or she actually is. Neutral expressions seem to look their age, while frowners look older.
- Build better relationships – A simple smile can reduce conflict and make others feel more comfortable and open to conversation.
- Be approachable – If you’re smiling, more people will want to talk to you, and fewer people will shy away as you speak.
Don’t Let Bad Teeth and Gums Ruin Your Self Confidence
Some people are just too embarrassed to share their smile. Maybe this fear comes from something that happened was when they were young. Maybe it is because of an accident that caused them to lose their teeth later on in life. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can have the kind of smile that will help build your confidence.
The shape, alignment and color of teeth and health of the gums can all be changed to improve the appearance of your smile. You don’t have to be afraid to smile. You can start smiling at others and seeing them return the gesture. It’s a small thing, but it can make a huge difference. Get your confidence back, schedule a dental exam with Dr. Frank Henrich, your dentist in Tulsa, OK.