When asked what they regard as their most prized possession, the common answer for many people would include their home or vehicles, designer clothes, jewellery or sophisticated gadgets. If you are one of those who see their smiles as the most valuable possession, then consider yourself amongst the favoured fortunate.
The Oral Health Foundation tells us that we should see our smiles as our most powerful possession. Taking into consideration the immense benefits the simple act of smiling holds for our physical and psychosocial wellbeing, it is not so hard to accept this viewpoint.
Measuring the value of a smile
According to a research study conducted in the UK of 2,000 adult participants, it was found that adults smile more than 232,000 times during their lifespan – making that 11 smiles a day on average. Most of the participants in the study believed that smiling at least 7 times a day worked to generate feelings of happiness and confidence, yet half felt that they could be smiling more.
The study went on to show what the effects were upon being the recipient of a warm and genuine smile. Participants in the study felt that receiving smiles generally prompted a spectrum of positive feelings: 28 per cent reported feelings of warmth and being liked, 22 per cent felt accepted, and 14 per cent felt reassured.
The key to a glowing smile
A glowing smile is a happy smile for which you need good dental health. Dental appearance and dental health go hand-in-hand to create an engaging and infectious smile. People who love their smiles invariably maintain good oral health.
Good dental health requires a person to observe a few simple behaviours to secure strong healthy teeth and gums. The first is good oral hygiene, which is to ensure teeth are brushed and flossed to avoid the build-up of enamel-destroying plaque and tartar.
When teeth are misaligned, good oral hygiene is hard to accomplish, which is why dental practitioners recommend orthodontic treatments like Invisalign Luton to correct the dental condition. Keeping teeth and gums plaque-free is the number one way to increase the likelihood of keeping the use of one’s natural teeth throughout one’s lifespan.
Next to an unfailing at-home oral hygiene regimen is to attend regular professional checkups with a qualified dental practitioner. These appointments, made once or twice a year, are the only reliable way to ascertain how healthy a mouth really is. Not all signs of a poor dental health condition can be detected by simply looking inside the mouth, especially if those eyes are untrained in what to look for. Often, a dentist will have to go much deeper below the gum line to get a realistic view of the state of a person’s dental health.
In addition to these mandatory obligations, dental practitioners also offer cosmetic dentistry treatments and procedures to enhance the aesthetic of teeth to attain a warm and pleasing smile. Discoloured teeth can be brightened, chips and cracks fixed and gaps between teeth closed off – all through cosmetic dental treatments.
Modern dental technologies have made it so that no one needs to be ashamed of their smile. A consultation with an experienced dentist can put forth a plan to restore a lost smile. Now that is something to smile about.
