Biting your confidence issues away

You’ve probably noticed a few people in your surroundings or in public places carefully masking their mouth with a hand when they laugh. When they meet a friend, they tend to smile with their lips pressed together. When you don’t feel confident about your teeth, hiding them feels like the only possible solution. 

Here’s some big news for you: You need to make smiling a priority in your life. Indeed, your smile touches a lot more than esthetic issues. The simple act of smiling reduces your stress levels. The more you smile, the more relaxed and happy you feel. There is a strong correlation between smiling and the production of happy hormones in the body. Indeed, you can smile yourself to happiness and self-confidence. 

But you need to tackle one major issue before you can get rid of your self-doubts. You need to look after your smile. Without a healthy smile, your self-confidence drops dramatically! 

Smiling drives happiness

Listen to yourself; is your smile a problem?

Did you know that more and more people in America are too embarrassed to smile? Over a third of the Hispanic population doesn’t want to let others see their teeth, for instance. Even when it comes to affluent households, one in five Americans with an annual income of $75,000 or higher prefer to avoid smiling or do things that would reveal their teeth. So, on the one hand, if you’re ashamed of smiling, you’re probably not an isolated case. However, on the other hand, the absence of a smile doesn’t only affect your self-confidence. It isolates you and transforms your behavior. It doesn’t matter how much effort you put in improving your mental health. Smiling is just as important as stress management or healthy sleep when it comes to boosting your mood. 

Talking to an expert about your problem

If you are aware that your teeth are a worry you can’t get out of your mind, you need to book an appointment with a specialist. Your local Walden Dental surgery, for instance, offers a variety of services both in tooth repair and cosmetic improvements, which can help you to sort out your issues. The most common complaints about smiles tend to refer to stains, misaligned teeth, or even breaks. Misaligned teeth often develop during puberty or early adult years as the teeth grow and can press against each other as a result of a lack of space in your mouth. Ultimately, you need to realize that dentists are here to help you; nobody is going to make fun of your smile. 

Make smiling a priority

When you’ve spent a long time without smiling, you might need to get back into the habit. Practicing smiling decreases negative thoughts in your life, but also creates a happy and positive environment around you. Why not give yourself a smile cue, such as smiling each time you hear the phone ringing? It can be especially effective if you choose a stressful event as a trigger for your smile. As you do, it transforms your attitude about it, and you feel relaxed. 

Can an embarrassing smile affect your self-confidence? The answer is yes. But more importantly, it affects your mood, your mental health and your relationships. When everything boils down to a few teeth issues, it is foolish not to book an appointment with your dentist to find your confidence back.