How Smiling Affects Overall Health
There are many benefits to showing your pearly whites. Smiling can help relieve stress, and boost your mood. While smiling can improve your mental health, it might also impact the health of your teeth and gums. If you’re not confident about your smile, Dentists On Washington offers a variety of dentistry services like teeth whitening, veneers, and other services that can help give you the smile you want.
When you smile, your brain releases tiny molecules called neuropeptides to help fight off stress. Then other neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins come into play too. The endorphins act as a mild pain reliever, whereas the serotonin is an antidepressant.
Smiling is a natural pain reliever
When you smile, your neurons tell your body you’re happy or excited and your body releases dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin – the neurotransmitters that make you feel great. There are many benefits to having those endorphins released, but one is that it’s a natural pain reliever. And the even better news? There are no negative side effects with this pain reliever.
It’s not just smiling that affects your mood. Some studies show that limiting frowning relieved depression in 27% of the patients studied. So, swap that frown for a smile and watch the mood-altering effects.
Furthermore, smiling can boost your immune system. When you’re more relaxed, your immune system functions more effectively. A stronger immune system can protect you from dental health issues like infections and inflammation.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Laughter increases heart rate followed by muscle relaxation. This is followed by lowering the heart rate and blood pressure which reduces the risk of developing heart disease and prevents the buildup of fat and cholesterol. It was noted that this was followed by a period of muscle relaxation, lower heart rate, and lower blood pressure.
When we are stressed, our heart rate increases and our blood pressure rises. Just like smiling through a worrying situation can help lower stress levels, smiling can also help lower blood pressure. According to Chris Norris, “smiling and laughing initially increases heart rate, then relaxes the muscle, and eventually decreases the heart rate and blood pressure.” Smiling isn’t just an expression you can wear, but a way to improve your overall health. More laughter could help reduce someone’s risk of developing heart disease!
Improves Your Mood
Smiling and laughing cause a number of physiological changes in your brain without you being consciously aware of it. For example, your brain releases endorphins, which will help you feel happier and be more positive. One study found that facial expressions, such as smiling, will improve your mood and increase positive thoughts. A study conducted by psychological scientists at the University of Kansas found that “smiling during brief stressors can help to reduce the intensity of the body’s stress response, regardless of whether a person actually feels happy.”
Smiling portrays confidence. The more you smile and the happier you are, the more self-confident you become. Smiling helps you seem more attractive, successful, and self-assured to others.
The health benefits of smiling are clearly well worth it!
It’s going to improve your well-being, give you a more positive feeling in life, and reduce the physical symptoms of stress. And you just need to flex a few facial muscles to reap the benefits.
So try to spend time with friends who make you laugh, go to a comedy club, watch a funny movie or try laughter yoga! Spontaneous laughter is best but even if it’s forced at first you will still enjoy better health.
If missing teeth are preventing you from smiling then why not consider dental implants. They look and feel like real teeth making them an excellent solution to replace any missing teeth.
Dentists On Washington has been named one of the best dentists in Philadelphia by multiple platforms. We take pride in our 5 Star Google Rating. We’re full-service dentistry providing Oral Care, Cosmetic Implants, Root Canals, Tooth Extraction, Invisalign Treatment, and much more in Philadelphia. We handle emergencies as well! Schedule Your Appointment.
